For the week ending January 19, 2013, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer remained at the same level as last week. Truck and Lumber Production were flat or increased slightly and the pickup this week appeared to be somewhat weak following the significant decreases in these Production in the previous week. Auto Production bounced back this ...

The Chicago Purchasing Managers reported the Chicago Business Barometer accelerated 5.6 to 55.6, its highest level since April 2012. The Business Barometer advanced amid broad gains in Production, New Orders, and Employment. Five of seven business barometer indexes gained, but inconsistent with the expansionary theme were declines in ...

In the week ending January 26, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 368,000, an increase of 38,000 from the previous week's unrevised figure of 330,000. The 4-week moving average was 352,000, an increase of 250 from the previous week's unrevised average ...

Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.5 percent, seasonally adjusted, for the 3-month period ending December 2012, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Wages and salaries (which make up about 70 percent of compensation costs) increased 0.3 percent, and benefits (which make up the remaining 30 percent of ...

Personal income increased $352.4 billion, or 2.6 percent, and disposable personal income (DPI) increased $331.3 billion, or 2.7 percent, in December, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $22.6 billion, or 0.2 percent. In November, personal income increased $135.8 billion, or 1.0 ...

The nation’s employers announced plans to cut payrolls by 40,430 jobs in January, up 24 percent from 32,556 in December, according to the latest report on planned job cuts released Thursday by global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

While January job cuts were up from the previous month, they were 24 percent lower than the 53,486 layoffs announced by employers the same month a year ago. This was, in fact, the third lowest January total in Challenger records going back to 1993. The only years to see ...

Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in December suggests that growth in economic activity paused in recent months, in large part because of weather-related disruptions and other transitory factors. Employment has continued to expand at a moderate pace but the unemployment rate remains elevated. Household spending ...

Real gross domestic product -- the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States -- decreased at an annual rate of 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012 (that is, from the third quarter to the fourth quarter), according to the "advance" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In ...

Private sector employment increased by 192,000 jobs from December to January, according to the January ADP National Employment Report®, which is produced by ADP®, a leading provider of human capital management services, in collaboration with Moody’s Analytics. The report, which is derived from ADP’s actual payroll data, measures the change ...

Mortgage applications decreased 8.1 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending January 25, 2013. The results include an adjustment to account for the Martin Luther ...

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had declined in December, fell further in January. The Index now stands at 58.6 (1985=100), down from 66.7 in December. The Expectations Index declined to 59.5 from 68.1. The Present Situation Index decreased to 57.3 from 64.6 ...

Data through November 2012, released today by S&P Dow Jones Indices for its S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices, showed home prices rose 4.5% for the 10-City Composite and 5.5% for the 20-City Composite in the 12months ending in ...

Sales weakened in the latest week as a confluence of factors held back the reported selling pace. The ICSC‐Goldman Sachs (ICSC‐GS) chain store sales index for the week ending January 26, 2013 dropped by 1.0% from the prior week and on a year‐over‐year pace s lowed to 2.0%. The nationwide average temperature was sharply colder than last ...

Texas factory activity rose sharply in January, according to business executives responding to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, rose from 3.5 to 12.9, which is consistent with faster growth.

Other measures of current manufacturing activity also indicated stronger growth in January. The new orders index jumped 13 points to 12.2, its highest reading since March 2011. The capacity utilization index shot up from 2.1 to 14.0, implying utilization rates increased ...

Pending home sales declined in December but have stayed above year-ago levels for 20 consecutive months, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, fell 4.3 percent to 101.7 in December from 106.3 in November but is 6.9 percent higher than December 2011 when it was 95.1. The data reflect contracts but not closings. ...

New orders for manufactured durable goods in December increased $10.0 billion or 4.6 percent to $230.7 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This increase, up seven of the last eight months, followed a 0.7 percent November increase. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 1.3 percent. Excluding defense, new orders increased ...

The Chicago Fed Midwest Manufacturing Index (CFMMI) increased 0.7% in December, to a seasonally adjusted level of 94.7 (2007 = 100). Revised data show the index was up 2.0% in November. The Federal Reserve Board’s industrial production index for manufacturing (IPMFG) moved up 0.8% in December. Regional output rose 6.2% in December from a ...

Sales of new single-family houses in December 2012 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 369,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 7.3 percent (±15.3%)* below the revised November rate of 398,000, but is 8.8 percent (±24.8%)* ...

Employers took 1,509 mass layoff actions in December involving 137,839 workers as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Data are seasonally adjusted.) Each mass layoff involved at least 50 workers from a single employer. Mass layoff events decreased by ...

Tenth District manufacturing activity contracted modestly again in January, but factories’ production expectations remained relatively optimistic for the months ahead. Many contacts blamed still-unresolved fiscal policy issues for caution in hiring and spending plans. Most price indexes edged lower, particularly expectations for raw ...

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. rose 0.5 percent in December to 93.9 (2004 = 100), following no change in November, and a 0.3 percent increase in October.

The U.S. LEI rose sharply in December, led by a large improvement in initial claims for unemployment insurance and positive contributions from the interest rate spread and the Leading Credit Index™. The increase in the LEI brought its six-month growth rate well above zero, ...

For the week ending January 12, 2013, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer plunged by 1.1 percent following a 0.5 percent increase in the previous week. Production indexes were notably weak as Lumber and Truck Production showed large drop which seems to be a reactionary decline following the increase in the previous reading. On the demand ...

In the week ending January 19, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 330,000, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's unrevised figure of 335,000. The 4-week moving average was 351,750, a decrease of 8,250 from the previous week's revised average ...

The ICSC‐Goldman Sachs (ICSC‐GS) chain store sales index for the week ending January 19, 2013 dropped by 1.5% from the prior week, but on a year‐over‐year pace remained robust at 3.2%. Business was mixed by retailer segment over the past week compared with the same period of the prior year. Department, apparel and grocery stores improved, ...

Mortgage applications increased 7.0 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending January 18, 2013.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 7.0 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 8 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index increased 8 ...

Existing-home sales eased in December but are well above a year ago, while limited inventory maintained the upward momentum in home prices, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Total sales in 2012 were the highest in five years, while the annual price rose the most ...

Manufacturing activity in the central Atlantic region declined in January following two months of modest expansion, according to the Richmond Fed's latest survey. Nearly all broad indicators of activity fell into negative territory. Other indicators also suggested additional softness. Capacity utilization turned negative as did the gauge ...

Led by declines in production-related indicators, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) decreased to +0.02 in December from +0.27 in November. Two of the four broad categories of indicators that make up the index decreased from November, and only two of the four categories made positive contributions to the index ...

Manufacturing activity declined moderately this month, according to firms responding to the January Business Outlook Survey. Following reported increases in business activity in late 2012, most indicators fell back from the readings posted last month. The survey's broad indicators of future activity, however, showed some improvement ...

BUILDING PERMITS
Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in December were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 903,000. This is 0.3 percent (±1.0%) above the revised November rate of 900,000 and is 28.8 percent (±1.4%) above the December 2011 estimate of 701,000. Single-family authorizations in December were at a rate ...

In the week ending January 12, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 335,000, a decrease of 37,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 372,000. The 4-week moving average was 359,250, a decrease of 6,750 from the previous week's revised average ...

Reports from the twelve Federal Reserve Districts indicated that economic activity has expanded since the previous Beige Book report, with all twelve Districts characterizing the pace of growth as either modest or moderate. Since the previous Beige Book, activity in the New York and Philadelphia Districts rebounded from the immediate impacts ...

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes was unchanged in January, remaining at a level of 47 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, released today. This means that following eight consecutive monthly gains, the index continues to hold at its highest level since April ...

Industrial production increased 0.3 percent in December after having risen 1.0 percent in November when production rebounded in the industries that had been negatively affected by Hurricane Sandy in late October. For the fourth quarter as a whole, total industrial production moved up at an annual rate of 1.0 percent. Manufacturing output ...

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today released Treasury International Capital (TIC) data for November 2012. The sum total in November of all net foreign acquisitions of long-term securities, short-term U.S. securities, and banking flows was a monthly net TIC inflow of $27.8 billion. Of this, net foreign private inflows were $43.3 billion, ...

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) was unchanged in December on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 1.7 percent before seasonal adjustment.

The gasoline index declined again in December, but other indexes, notably food ...

Real average hourly earnings for all employees rose 0.3 percent from November to December, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The increase in real average hourly earnings was due to a 0.3 percent increase in average hourly earnings combined with an unchanged Consumer Price Index for All Urban ...

Mortgage applications increased 15.2 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending January 11, 2013.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 15.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 45 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index increased 15 ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that the combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments for November, adjusted for seasonal and trading-day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $1,271.6 billion, up 1.0 percent (±0.2%) from October 2012 and up 4.3 percent (±0.3%) from ...

The Producer Price Index for finished goods declined 0.2 percent in December, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Prices for finished goods fell 0.8 percent in November and 0.2 percent in October. At the earlier stages of processing, prices received by manufacturers of intermediate goods moved up 0.3 ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for December, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $415.7 billion, an increase of 0.5 percent (±0.5%) from the previous month and 4.7 percent (±0.7%) above December 2011. ...

The January 2013 Empire State Manufacturing Survey indicates that conditions for New York manufacturers continued to decline at a modest pace. The general business conditions index was negative for a sixth consecutive month and, at -7.8, was little changed from its recent readings. The new orders index fell four points to -7.2, and the ...

The ICSC‐Goldman Sachs (ICSC‐GS) chain store sales index for the week ending January 12, 2013 extended its decline by 0.6% from the prior week and the year‐over‐year pace decelerated to 3.3%. With the exception of discount store business, most segments were weaker than the same week of the prior year during the past week‐‐including ...

The Nation’s international trade deficit in goods and services increased to $48.7 billion in November from $42.1 billion in October (revised), as imports increased more than exports.

The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, through the Department of Commerce, announced today that total November exports of $182.6 billion and imports of $231.3 billion resulted in a goods and services deficit of $48.7 billion, up from $42.1 billion ...

The price index for U.S. imports edged down 0.1 percent in December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, after declining 0.8 percent the previous month. Falling fuel and nonfuel prices each contributed to the December decrease. U.S. export prices also fell 0.1 percent in December following a 0.7 percent drop ...

There were 3.7 million job openings on the last business day of November, unchanged from October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The hires rate (3.2 percent) and separations rate (3.1 percent) also were unchanged in November. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that November 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 $419.3 billion, up 2.3 percent (+/-0.5%) from the revised October level and were up 5.6 percent ...

For the week ending December 29, 2012, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer dropped by 1.0 percent following a flat reading in the previous week. Despite the continued growth in Chain Store Sales, many of the data both on demand and production side, such as Railroad Freight Carloadings and Steel Production, showed weakness for the week. ...

In the week ending January 5, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 371,000, an increase of 4,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 367,000. The 4-week moving average was 365,750, an increase of 6,750 from the previous week's revised average ...

Mortgage applications increased 11.7 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending January 4, 2013. The results include an adjustment to account for the New Year’s ...