Research >> Economics
DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer was flat
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For the week ending April 27, 2012, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer was flat following +0.4 percent increase in the prior week. A slight decline in inflation-adjusted chain store sales was offset by modest increase in railroad freight car-loadings for the week. As for the production sector, result was mixed with drop in auto production and also in electrical output coincided by increase in truck and lumber production leading to little change in the index for the latest week.
On a year-over-year basis, the barometer grew +2.1 percent, 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%), but not so impressive when compared to an -8.0 percent drop in 2009. The barometer increased by +2.2% in 2011 at a somewhat slower pace compared to 2010.
The smoothed version of the barometer, which attempts to account for weekly volatility, was unchanged from prior week, while its year-over-year growth rate slightly increased to +1.8 percent.
Posted: May 10, 2012 Thursday 10:16 AM