Pending home sales in August continued to move upward, marking four uninterrupted months of positive contract activity, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Each of the four major regions experienced growth in month-over-month and year-over-year pending home ...

The Chicago Business BarometerTM, produced with MNI, jumped to 62.4 in September, the highest level since December 2018, as business activity recovered across the board. Through Q3, business sentiment recovered sharply to 55.2, the strongest reading since Q1 2019.

All five main indicators saw monthly gains in September, with Production and New Orders leading the way. On a quarterly basis, Supplier Deliveries was the only category to see a decline. ...

Real gross domestic product (GDP) decreased at an annual rate of 31.4 percent in the second quarter of 2020 (table 1), according to the "third" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the first quarter, real GDP decreased 5.0 percent.

The “third” estimate of GDP released today is based on more complete source data than were available for the "second" estimate issued last month. In the second estimate, the decrease in real GDP was 31.7 percent. The upward revision with the third estimate primarily ...

Private sector employment increased by 749,000 jobs from August to September according to the September ADP National Employment Report®. “The labor market continues to recover gradually,” said Ahu Yildirmaz, vice president and co-head of the ADP Research Institute. “In September, the majority of sectors and company sizes experienced gains ...

Mortgage applications decreased 4.8 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending September 25, 2020.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 4.8 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 5 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index decreased 7 ...

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® increased in September, after declining in August. The Index now stands at 101.8 (1985=100), up from 86.3 in August. The Present Situation Index – based on consumers' assessment of current business and labor market conditions – increased from 85.8 to 98.5. The Expectations Index – based on ...

S&P Dow Jones Indices today released the latest results for the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices. Data released today for July 2020 show that home prices continue to increase at a modest rate across the U.S.

Please note that transaction records for March, April, May and June 2020 for Wayne County, MI are now available. Due to delays at the local recording office caused by the COVID-19 lockdown, S&P Dow Jones Indices and CoreLogic were previously unable to generate a valid ...

The latest Paychex | IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch shows a in hiring from the previous month, rising 0.06 percent nationally and 0.36 percent in the Northeast. The national jobs index stands at 94.44, remaining in line with April’s reading of 94.63. Small business wage growth slowed to 3.14 percent in September, while growth in ...

For this month’s survey, Texas business executives were asked supplemental questions on the impacts of COVID-19. Results for these questions from the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey, Texas Service Sector Outlook Survey and Texas Retail Outlook Survey have been released together. Read the special ...

New Orders
New orders for manufactured durable goods in August increased $1.0 billion or 0.4 percent to $232.8 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This increase, up four consecutive months, followed an 11.7 percent July increase. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.4 percent. Excluding defense, new orders increased ...

Tenth District manufacturing activity increased at a slower pace in September and remained lower than a year ago, while expectations for future activity were positive. Prices paid for raw materials and finished goods rose further. District firms expected prices for both raw materials and finished goods to grow in the next ...

New Home Sales
Sales of new single-family houses in August 2020 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,011,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 4.8 percent (±10.5 percent)* above the revised July rate of 965,000 and is 43.2 percent ...

In the week ending September 19, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 870,000, an increase of 4,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 6,000 from 860,000 to 866,000. The 4-week moving average was 878,250, a decrease of 35,250 from the previous week's revised average. ...

Mortgage applications increased 6.8 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending September 18, 2020. The previous week's results included an adjustment for the Labor ...

Manufacturing activity in the Fifth District improved in September, according to the most recent survey from the Richmond Fed. The composite index climbed from 18 in August to 21 in September, buoyed by increases in the indicators for new orders and employment. The third component index — shipments — decreased but remained positive, ...

Existing-home sales continued to climb in August, marking three consecutive months of positive sales gains, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Each of the four major regions experienced both month-over-month and year-over-year growth, with the Northeast seeing the greatest improvement from the ...

Nonmanufacturing firms reported continued signs of improvement in regional nonmanufacturing activity this month, according to results from the Nonmanufacturing Business Outlook Survey. The index for general activity at the firm level edged up, sales/revenues remained stable, and new orders edged down. The survey's indexes for full-time ...

Led by some further moderation in the growth of production-related indicators, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) declined to +0.79 in August from +2.54 in July. Two of the four broad categories of indicators used to construct the index made positive contributions in August, but all four categories decreased from July. The ...

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. increased 1.2 percent in August to 106.5 (2016 = 100), following a 2.0 percent increase in July and a 3.1 percent increase in June.

“While the US LEI increased again in August, the slowing pace of improvement suggests that this summer’s economic rebound may be losing steam heading into the final stretch of 2020,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, Senior Director of Economic Research at The Conference Board. ...

Consumer sentiment improved in early September, reaching the top of the range it has traveled since April. While the recent gain was consistent with an unchanged flat trend, the data indicated that the election has begun to have an impact on expectations about future economic prospects. The Michigan surveys have traditionally asked consumers ...

The U.S. current account deficit, which reflects the combined balances on trade in goods and services and income flows between U.S. residents and residents of other countries, widened by $59.0 billion, or 52.9 percent, to $170.5 billion in the second quarter of 2020, according to statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). ...

In the week ending September 12, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 860,000, a decrease of 33,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 9,000 from 884,000 to 893,000. The 4-week moving average was 912,000, a decrease of 61,000 from the previous week's revised average. ...

Building Permits
Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in August were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,470,000. This is 0.9 percent (±1.4 percent)* below the revised July rate of 1,483,000 and is 0.1 percent (±1.5 percent)* below the August 2019 rate of 1,471,000. Single-family authorizations in August were at ...

Manufacturing activity in the region continued to expand this month, according to firms responding to the September Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey. The survey's current indicators for general activity, new orders, and shipments remained positive for the fourth consecutive month. The employment index improved in September and remained ...

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today released Treasury International Capital (TIC) data for July 2020. The sum total in July of all net foreign acquisitions of long-term securities, short-term U.S. securities, and banking flows was a net TIC outflow of $88.7 billion. Of this, net foreign private outflows were $55.0 billion, and net ...

The Federal Reserve is committed to using its full range of tools to support the U.S. economy in this challenging time, thereby promoting its maximum employment and price stability goals.

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing tremendous human and economic hardship across the United States and around the world. Economic activity and employment have picked up in recent months but remain well below their levels at the beginning of the year. Weaker demand and ...

The combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments for July, adjusted for seasonal and trading day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $1,441.1 billion, up 3.2 percent (±0.2 percent) from June 2020, but was down 1.2 percent (±0.4 percent) from ...

In a strong signal that housing is leading the economic recovery, builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes increased five points to hit an all-time high of 83 in September, according to the latest NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released today. The previous highest reading of 78 in the 35-year history of ...

Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for August 2020, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $537.5 billion, an increase of 0.6 percent (± 0.5 percent) from the previous month, and 2.6 percent (± 0.7 percent) above August 2019. Total sales for the June ...

Mortgage applications decreased 2.5 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending September 11, 2020. This week's results include an adjustment for the Labor ...

Industrial production rose 0.4 percent in August for its fourth consecutive monthly increase. However, even after the recent gains, the index in August was 7.3 percent below its pre-pandemic February level. Manufacturing output continued to improve in August, rising 1.0 percent, but the gains for most manufacturing industries have gradually ...

U.S. import prices rose 0.9 percent in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, following advances of 1.2 percent in July and 1.4 percent in June. Higher prices for both fuel and nonfuel imports contributed to the August increase. Prices for U.S. exports also advanced in August, rising 0.5 percent, after increasing 0.9 ...

Business activity expanded at a solid clip in New York State, according to firms responding to the September 2020 Empire State Manufacturing Survey. The headline general business conditions index climbed thirteen points to 17.0. New orders increased modestly, and shipments grew significantly. Unfilled orders continued to decline. Inventories ...

The Conference Board®-Burning Glass® Help Wanted OnLine™ (HWOL) Index rose in August and now stands at 105.1 (July 2018=100), up from 103.4 in June. The Index rose 10.3 percent from June to July and is up 0.8 percent from a year ago.

The Help Wanted OnLine™ Index is produced in collaboration with Burning Glass Technologies, the global pioneer in real-time labor market data and analysis. This recent collaboration enhances the Help Wanted OnLine™ program by providing additional insights into important ...

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.4 percent in August on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 0.6 percent in July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 1.3 percent before seasonal adjustment.

The monthly increase in the ...

All employees
Real average hourly earnings for all employees were unchanged from July to August, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This result stems from an increase of 0.4 percent in average hourly earnings offset by an increase of 0.4 percent in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban ...

July 2020 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 $479.2 billion, up 4.6 percent (±0.5 percent) from the revised June level, but were down 4.0 percent (±0.9 percent) from the revised July 2019 level. The ...

The Producer Price Index for final demand increased 0.3 percent in August, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Final demand prices rose 0.6 percent in July and fell 0.2 percent in June. (See table A). On an unadjusted basis, the final demand index declined 0.2 percent for the 12 months ended ...

In the week ending September 5, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 884,000, unchanged from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 3,000 from 881,000 to 884,000. The 4-week moving average was 970,750, a decrease of 21,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous ...

The number of job openings increased to 6.6 million on the last business day of July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Hires decreased to 5.8 million in July. Total separations was little changed at 5.0 million. Within separations, the quits rate rose to 2.1 percent while the layoffs and discharges rate decreased to 1.2 ...

Mortgage applications increased 2.9 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending September 4, 2020. This week's results are being compared to the week of Labor ...

In July, consumer credit increased at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3-1/2 percent. Revolving credit decreased at an annual rate of 1/2 percent, while nonrevolving credit increased at an annual rate of 4-3/4 percent.

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The Conference Board Employment Trends Index™ (ETI) increased in August, following increases in May, June, and July. The index now stands at 52.55, up from 51.37 (an upward revision) in July. However, the index is down from 109.8 a year ago.

“Despite the rise in new COVID-19 cases at the beginning of the summer, job growth continues to gain momentum: the Employment Trends Index increased for the fourth consecutive month,” said Gad Levanon, Head of The Conference Board Labor Markets Institute. “Over the coming ...

The NFIB Optimism Index increased 1.4 points in August to 100.2, a reading slightly above the historical 46-year average. Seven of the 10 Index components improved, two declined, and one was unchanged. The NFIB Uncertainty Index increased two points in August to 90, the second-highest reading ...

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 1.4 million in August, and the unemployment rate fell to 8.4 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. These improvements in the labor market reflect the continued resumption of economic activity that had been curtailed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and efforts to contain ...

Economic activity in the services sector grew in August for the third month in a row, say the nation's purchasing and supply executives in the latest Services ISM® Report On Business®.

The report was issued today by Anthony Nieves, CPSM, C.P.M., A.P.P., CFPM, Chair of the Institute for Supply Management® (ISM®) Services Business Survey Committee: “The Services PMI™ (formerly the Non-Manufacturing NMI®) registered 56.9 percent, 1.2 percentage points lower ...

In the week ending August 29, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 881,000, a decrease of 130,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 5,000 from 1,006,000 to 1,011,000. The 4-week moving average was 991,750, a decrease of 77,500 from the previous week's revised average. ...

Nonfarm business sector labor productivity increased 10.1 percent in the second quarter of 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, as output decreased 37.1 percent and hours worked decreased 42.9 percent. (All quarterly percent changes in this release are seasonally adjusted annual rates, and show what the percent change would ...

The nation's international trade deficit in goods and services increased to $63.6 billion in July from $53.5 billion in June (revised), as imports increased more than exports. The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis announced today that the goods and services deficit was $63.6 billion in July, up $10.1 billion from ...

Job cuts announced by U.S.-based employers in August totaled 115,762, 116% higher than the August 2019 total of 53,480, according to a monthly report released Thursday by global outplacement and business and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

August’s total is 56% lower than the 262,649 job cuts announced in July. It is the highest total in August since 2002, when 118,067 job cuts were announced. So far this year, employers have announced 1,963,458 cuts, 231% higher than the 592,556 cuts tracked in ...