Research >> Economics
DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer moved down by 0.2%
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For the week ending May 4, 2013, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer moved down 0.2 percent for the first time in eight weeks. Chain Store Sales decreased by 1.0 percent after two consecutive weeks’ gains. This partially resulted in a decline of this week’s barometer, although Lumber Production of production indexes climbed 3.0 percent and bounced back to the highest level since the beginning of January 2013. All other indexes showed only slight decreases.
On a year-over-year basis, the barometer showed an increase of 0.8 percent for the fourth consecutive week, which compares to an average -3.3 percent decline over the Great Recession (determined to have ended in June 2009 according to the NBER). After flatlining in 2006, and declining from 2007 through 2009, the barometer bounced back in 2010 to rise by 3.4 percent, which was the strongest increase since 1994 (+4.0 percent), but not so impressive when compared to an -8.0 percent drop in 2009. The rate of increase for the 2012 slightly slowed to 1.4 percent following 2.2 percent in 2011.
The smoothed version of the barometer, which attempts to account for weekly volatility, remained unchanged. Its year-over-year growth rate was 0.8 percent.
Posted: May 16, 2013 Thursday 10:00 AM