Texas factory activity continued to increase in March, according to business executives responding to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, held steady at 11.1, suggesting growth continued at about the same pace as ...

The Chicago Purchasing Managers reported the April Chicago Business Barometer decreased for a second consecutive month. After five months above 60, the Chicago Business Barometer fell to 56.2, a 29 month low. The index has remained in expansion since October 2009.

BUSINESS ACTIVITY:
• PRODUCTION lowest level since September 2009;
• PRICES PAID down from March's 7 month high;
• INVENTORIES down in 6 of last 7 months;
• SUPPLIER DELIVERIES lowest since September 2011. ...

The Chicago Fed Midwest Manufacturing Index (CFMMI) was unchanged in March, at a seasonally adjusted level of 92.2 (2007 = 100). Revised data show the index was up 1.6% in February. The Federal Reserve Board’s industrial production index for manufacturing (IPMFG) decreased 0.2% in March. Regional output in March rose 8.6% from a year earlier, ...

Personal income increased $50.3 billion, or 0.4 percent, and disposable personal income (DPI) increased $42.5 billion, or 0.4 percent, in March, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $29.6 billion, or 0.3 percent. In February, personal income increased $39.6 billion, or 0.3 percent, ...

Confidence remained largely unchanged at improved levels in April as consumers were still hopeful about future job gains despite disappointing recent developments. The revival of confidence critically depends on the two economic events that consumers still expect to happen: that jobs will become more plentiful and that gasoline prices ...

Real gross domestic product -- the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States -- increased at an annual rate of 2.2 percent in the first quarter of 2012 (that is, from the fourth quarter to the first quarter), according to the "advance" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In ...

Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.4 percent, seasonally adjusted, for the 3-month period ending March 2012, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Wages and salaries (which make up about 70 percent of compensation costs) increased 0.5 percent, and benefits (which make up the remaining 30 percent of compensation) ...

Growth in Tenth District manufacturing eased further in April, but activity remained expansionary and well above year-ago levels. The majority of producers reported some negative effects from elevated gasoline prices, and nearly half of all respondents noted difficulties finding workers. Price indexes were mixed, with slight easing in ...

Pending home sales increased in March and are well above a year ago, another signal the housing market is recovering, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

The Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, rose 4.1 percent to 101.4 in March from an upwardly revised 97.4 in February and is 12.8 percent above March 2011 when it was 89.9. The data reflects contracts but not closings. ...

For the week ending April 14, 2012, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer was down by 0.4 percent after posting consecutive increases in prior 2 weeks. Drop in inflation-adjusted chain store sales and mortgage index contributed to the weekly drop, perhaps a sign that the warm weather factor is gradually fading out. As for the production ...

In the week ending April 21, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 388,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 389,000. The 4-week moving average was 381,750, an increase of 6,250 from the previous week's revised average ...

Led by declines in production-related indicators, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) decreased to –0.29 in March from +0.07 in February. All four broad categories of indicators that make up the index deteriorated from February, with the production and income and personal consumption and housing categories both making a ...

Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in March suggests that the economy has been expanding moderately. Labor market conditions have improved in recent months; the unemployment rate has declined but remains elevated. Household spending and business fixed investment have continued to advance. Despite some signs ...

New orders for manufactured durable goods in March decreased $8.8 billion or 4.2 percent to $202.6 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This decrease, down two of the last three months, followed a 1.9 percent February increase. Excluding transportation, new orders decreased 1.1 percent. Excluding defense, new orders decreased ...

Mortgage applications decreased 3.8 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending April 20, 2012.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 3.8 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 3.3 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index decreased 5.6 ...

Sales of new single-family houses in March 2012 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 328,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 7.1 percent (±20.7%) below the revised February rate of 353,000, but is 7.5 percent (±19.6%) above the March ...

Employers took 1,273 mass layoff actions in March involving 121,310 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Each mass layoff involved at least 50 workers from a single employer. Mass layoff events in March decreased by 20 ...

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had declined slightly in March, was virtually unchanged in April. The Index now stands at 69.2 (1985=100), down slightly from 69.5 in March. The Expectations Index declined to 81.1 from 82.5, while the Present Situation Index improved to 51.4 from 49.9 ...

Manufacturing activity in the central Atlantic region advanced somewhat faster in April following slightly slower growth in March, according to the Richmond Fed's latest survey. A significant increase in the shipments component pushed the overall index higher, while employment grew at a rate above March's pace and growth in new orders held ...

Data through February 2012, released today by S&P Indices for its S&P/Case Shiller Home Price Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices, showed annual declines of 3.6% and 3.5% for the 10- and 20-City Composites, respectively. This is an improvement over the annual rates posted for the month of January, -4.1% and -3.9%, respectively. ...

The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) reported that chain store sales rose 0.8% from the prior week, while increasing 3.6% over the prior-year period during the week ending Apr 21st. Warm weather, receding gasoline prices and improving high‐income household consumer confidence all supported spending over the latest ...

Manufacturing firms responding to the April Business Outlook Survey indicated that regional manufacturing activity expanded modestly this month. The survey’s broad indicators for general activity, new orders, and shipments all remained positive but fell slightly from their readings last month. The indicator for current employment, however, ...

Existing-home sales were down in March but continue to outpace year-ago levels, while inventory tightened and home prices are showing further signs of stabilizing, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

Total existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, declined 2.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.48 million in March from an upwardly revised 4.60 million in February, but are ...

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. increased 0.3 percent in March to 95.7 (2004 = 100), following a 0.7 percent increase in February, and a 0.2 percent increase in January.

The LEI increased for the sixth consecutive month, pointing to a more positive outlook despite subdued consumer expectations and weakness in manufacturing new orders. Moreover, the six-month growth rate of the LEI continues to improve. The CEI, a measure of current economic ...

For the week ending April 7, 2012, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer edged up +0.1 percent on top of a rise of +0.9 percent in the prior week. Inflation-adjusted chain store sales managed to increase by +0.4 percent, even after a surge of +3.8 percent in the week earlier, continuously helped by a warm weather and Easter Sunday, which fell ...

In the week ending April 14, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 386,000, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 388,000. The 4-week moving average was 374,750, an increase of 5,500 from the previous week's revised average ...

Mortgage applications increased 6.9 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending April 13, 2012.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 6.9 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 6.5 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index increased 13.5 ...

Industrial production was unchanged in March for a second month but rose at an annual rate of 5.4 percent in the first quarter of 2012. Manufacturing output declined 0.2 percent in March but jumped 10.4 percent at an annual rate in the first quarter. The gain in manufacturing output in the first quarter was broadly based: Even excluding ...

BUILDING PERMITS
Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in March were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 747,000. This is 4.5 percent (±1.1%) above the revised February rate of 715,000 and is 30.1 percent (±1.6%) above the March 2011 estimate of 574,000. Single-family authorizations in March were at a rate of ...

The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) reported that chain store sales declined 1.0% from the prior week, the first fall in 3 weeks, while increasing 3.2% over the prior-year period during the week ending Apr 14th. “With the Easter holiday beginning (April 8), it is not surprising that seasonal apparel demand slowed in its ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that the combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments for February, adjusted for seasonal and trading-day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $1,236.7 billion, up 0.7 percent (±0.2%) from January 2012 and up 7.6 percent (±0.4%) from ...

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes declined for the first time in seven months this April, sliding three notches to 25 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, released today. The decline brings the index back to where it was in January, which was the highest level ...

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today released Treasury International Capital (TIC) data for February 2012. In sum, the net foreign acquisition of long-term securities, the change in foreign holdings of short-term U.S. securities, and banking flows yielded monthly net TIC inflows of $107.7 billion. Of this, net foreign private inflows ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for March, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $411.1 billion, an increase of 0.8 percent (±0.5%) from the previous month and 6.5 percent (±0.7%) above March 2011. Total sales ...

April’s Empire State Manufacturing Survey indicates that manufacturing activity in New York State improved modestly. Although the general business conditions index fell fourteen points, it remained positive at 6.6. The new orders and shipments indexes also remained positive, but showed only a small increase in orders and shipments. The prices ...

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.3 percent in March on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 2.7 percent before seasonal adjustment.

The indexes for food, energy, and all items less food and energy all increased in March. The gasoline index continued to rise, more than offsetting a decline in the household energy index and leading to a 0.9 percent increase in the energy index. The food index rose 0.2 ...

Real average hourly earnings for all employees fell 0.1 percent from February 2012 to March 2012, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. A 0.2 percent increase in the average hourly earnings was more than offset by a 0.3 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban ...

For the week ending March 31, 2012, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer rose +0.9 percent after a decline of -0.2 percent in the prior week. Inflation-adjusted chain store sales surged by +3.8 percent, likely helped by unseasonably warm weather and early Easter Sunday which fell on April 8th this year compared to April 24th 2011. MBA’s ...

The Nation’s international trade deficit in goods and services decreased to $46.0 billion in February from $52.5 billion (revised) in January, as exports increased and imports decreased.

The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, through the Department of Commerce, announced today that total February exports of $181.2 billion and imports of $227.2 billion resulted in a goods and services deficit of $46.0 billion, down from $52.5 ...

The Producer Price Index for finished goods was unchanged in March, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Finished goods prices rose 0.4 percent in February and 0.1 percent in January. At the earlier stages of processing, prices received by manufacturers of intermediate goods climbed 0.7 percent in March, and ...

In the week ending April 7, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 380,000, an increase of 13,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 367,000. The 4-week moving average was 368,500, an increase of 4,250 from the previous week's revised average ...

Reports from the twelve Federal Reserve Districts indicated that the economy continued to expand at a modest to moderate pace from mid-February through late March. Activity in the Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and San Francisco Districts grew at a moderate pace, while Cleveland and St. Louis cited modest growth. New York reported that ...

U.S. import prices advanced 1.3 percent in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, after edging down 0.1 percent the previous month. Higher fuel and nonfuel prices contributed to the advance. Prices for U.S. exports rose 0.8 percent in March, following increases of 0.4 percent in February and 0.2 percent ...

Mortgage applications decreased 2.4 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending April 6, 2012.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 2.4 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 2.1 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index decreased 3.1 ...

There were 3.5 million job openings on the last business day of February, little changed from January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The hires rate (3.3 percent) and separations rate (3.1 percent) were little changed in February. The job openings rate, at 2.6 percent, has trended upward since the end of the recession in ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that February 2012 sales of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations and trading-day differences but not for price changes, were $409.4 billion, up 1.2 percent (+/-0.5%) from the revised January level and were up 9.3 percent ...

The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) reported that chain store sales increased 0.5% from the prior week, while increasing a robust 4.5% over the prior-year period during the week ending Apr 7th, which was the biggest rise since the last week of December. The ICSC‐GS consumer tracking survey found that consumers were shopping ...

Six monthly gains in the Index of Small Business Optimism were reversed in March, as the index fell almost 2 points to 92.5. Nine of the ten Index components declined, only increasing satisfaction with inventory stocks added one point to the Index computation. It looks like a replay of 2011, a few months look good early on and then it ...

The Conference Board Employment Trends Index™ (ETI) decreased 0.18 percent in March to 107.28, down from the revised figure of 107.47 in February. The March figure is still up over 5 percent (5.2) from the same month a year ago.

After five months of strong growth, the ETI declined slightly in March. Together with the disappointing job growth released on Friday, and only moderate improvement in economic activity in recent months, it seems that employment growth in December to February, averaging ...