Texas factory activity continued to increase but at a slightly slower pace in February, according to business executives responding to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, came in at 14.5, down two points from January but still indicative of above-average ...

The Chicago Business BarometerTM, produced with MNI, fell 8.9 points to 56.3 in February, weakening for the first time since November 2021. New Orders slowed, with almost a quarter of firms surveyed seeing a decline.

• All five of the main five indicators fell, with New Orders and Supplier Deliveries taking the largest hit. Only Inventories edged up over the month.
• In February, Production fell for the second consecutive month, dipping 5.2 points to 55.4, the lowest reading since ...

Consumer sentiment fell in February to its lowest level in the past decade, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers.

Importantly, the loss was still entirely due to a 12.9% decline among households with incomes of $100,000 or more, a group that has a significant impact on consumer spending, said U-M economist Richard Curtin, director of the surveys. ...

Pending home sales slumped in January, continuing what is now a three-month drop in transactions, the National Association of Realtors® reported. Of the four major U.S. regions, only the West registered an increase in month-over-month contract activity. All four regions posted a decline in ...

Personal income increased $9.0 billion (less than 0.1 percent) in January, according to estimates released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (tables 3 and 5). Disposable personal income (DPI) increased $19.8 billion (0.1 percent) and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $337.2 billion ...

New Orders
New orders for manufactured durable goods in January increased $4.3 billion or 1.6 percent to $277.5 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This increase, up eight of the last nine months, followed a 1.2 percent December increase. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.7 percent. Excluding defense, new ...

Tenth District manufacturing activity grew at a strong pace, and expectations for future activity increased. The monthly index of raw materials prices expanded at a steady pace in February and continued to increase compared to a year ago. Finished goods price indexes eased slightly from a month ago, but were above year-ago levels for most ...

New Home Sales
Sales of new single‐family houses in January 2022 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 801,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 4.5 percent (±16.2 percent)* below the revised December rate of 839,000 and is 19.3 ...

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 7.0 percent in the fourth quarter of 2021 (table 1), according to the "second" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the third quarter, real GDP increased 2.3 percent.

The GDP estimate released today is based on more complete source data than were available for the "advance" estimate issued last month. In the advance estimate, the increase in real GDP was 6.9 percent. The updated estimates primarily reflected upward revisions to ...

In the week ending February 19, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 232,000, a decrease of 17,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 248,000 to 249,000. The 4-week moving average was 236,250, a decrease of 7,250 from the previous week's revised average. ...

The Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) rose to +0.69 in January from +0.07 in December. All four broad categories of indicators used to construct the index made positive contributions in January, and two categories improved from December. The index’s three-month moving average, CFNAI-MA3, edged down to +0.42 in January from +0.46 ...

Mortgage applications decreased 13.1 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending February 18, 2022.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 13.1 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 11 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index decreased 16 ...

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® fell slightly in February, after a decrease in January. The Index now stands at 110.5 (1985=100), down from 111.1 in January. The Present Situation Index—based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions—improved to 145.1 from 144.5 last month. The ...

Fifth District manufacturing activity softened in February, according to the most recent survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. The composite index fell from 8 in January to 1 in February, due to declines in the indexes for shipments and new orders. Both indexes turned negative, with the shipments index dropping notably from 14 ...

S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI) 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 December 2021 show that home prices continue to increase across the U.S.

YEAR-OVER-YEAR
The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index, covering all nine U.S. census divisions, reported an 18.8% annual gain in December, remaining the same from the previous month. The 10-City Composite annual increase came in at 17.0%, up from ...

Nonmanufacturing business activity expanded this month, according to the firms responding to the February Nonmanufacturing Business Outlook Survey. The indexes for general activity at the firm level, new orders, sales/revenues, and employment all increased this month after declining last month. The prices paid and prices received indexes rose ...

Existing-home sales rose in January, making a notable move upward following a previous month where sales declined, according to the National Association of Realtors®. On a month-over-month basis, each of the four major U.S. regions experienced an increase in sales in January. However, year-over-year, activity was mixed as two regions ...

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI)for theU.S. decreased by 0.3 percent in January to 119.6 (2016 = 100), following a 0.7 percent increase in December and a 0.8 percent increase in November.

“The U.S. LEI posted a small decline in January, as the Omicron wave, rising prices, and supply chain disruptions took their toll,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, Senior Director of Economic Research at The Conference Board. “Initial claims for unemployment insurance, consumers’ ...

In the week ending February 12, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 248,000, an increase of 23,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 223,000 to 225,000. The 4-week moving average was 243,250, a decrease of 10,500 from the previous week's revised average. ...

Building Permits
Privately‐owned housing units authorized by building permits in January were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,899,000. This is 0.7 percent above the revised December rate of 1,885,000 and is 0.8 percent above the January 2021 rate of 1,883,000. Single‐family authorizations in January were at a rate of 1,205,000; this ...

Manufacturing activity in the region continued to expand this month, according to the firms responding to the February Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey. The survey's current indicators for general activity, new orders, and shipments declined from last month's readings but remained positive. The employment index rose, and the price ...

The combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments for December, adjusted for seasonal and trading day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $1,717.2 billion, down 0.7 percent (±0.1 percent) from November 2021, but was up 15.9 percent (±0.6 percent) from ...

Despite strong buyer demand, builder sentiment continued to slip in February as the industry grapples with ongoing building material production bottlenecks that are raising construction costs and delaying projects.

Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes moved one point lower to 82 in February, marking the second straight month that confidence levels have declined by a single point, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo ...

In January, total industrial production increased 1.4 percent. Manufacturing output and mining production rose 0.2 percent and 1.0 percent, respectively. The index for utilities jumped 9.9 percent; after being held down in December by unusually mild weather, the demand for heating surged in January with the arrival of ...

Prices for U.S. imports advanced 2.0 percent in January following a 0.4-percent drop in December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Higher fuel and nonfuel prices in January contributed to the overall increase in import prices. U.S. export prices rose 2.9 percent in January, after declining 1.6 percent in ...

Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for January 2022, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $649.8 billion, an increase of 3.8 percent (±0.5 percent) from the previous month, and 13.0 percent (±0.9 percent) above January 2021. Total sales for the November ...

Mortgage applications decreased 5.4 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending February 11, 2022.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 5.4 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 3 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index decreased 9 ...

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today released Treasury International Capital (TIC) data for December 2021. The sum total in December of all net foreign acquisitions of long-term securities, short-term U.S. securities, and banking flows was a net TIC outflow of $52.4 billion. Of this, net foreign private outflows were $33.4 billion, and ...

The Producer Price Index for final demand increased 1.0 percent in January, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This rise followed advances of 0.4 percent in December 2021 and 0.9 percent in November. (See table A.) On an unadjusted basis, final demand prices moved up 9.7 percent for the 12 months ended ...

Business activity was little changed in New York State, according to firms responding to the February 2022 Empire State Manufacturing Survey. The headline general business conditions index moved up four points to 3.1. New orders and shipments held steady, and unfilled orders increased. Delivery times continued to lengthen. Labor market ...

The U.S. economy for the current quarter looks weaker now than it did in November, according to 36 forecasters surveyed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The forecasters predict real GDP will grow at an annual rate of 1.8 percent in the first quarter of 2022, down 2.1 percentage points from the prediction of 3.9 percent in the ...

Sentiment continued its downward descent, reaching its worst level in a decade, falling a stunning 8.2% from last month and 19.7% from last February. The recent declines have been driven by weakening personal financial prospects, largely due to rising inflation, less confidence in the government's economic policies, and the least favorable ...

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.6 percent in January on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 7.5 percent before seasonal adjustment.

Increases in the indexes for food, electricity, and shelter were the largest contributors to the seasonally adjusted all items increase. The food index rose 0.9 percent in January following a 0.5-percent increase in December. The energy index also increased 0.9 percent over ...

All employees
Real average hourly earnings for all employees increased 0.1 percent from December to January, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This result stems from an increase of 0.7 percent in average hourly earnings combined with an increase of 0.6 percent in the Consumer Price Index for All ...

In the week ending January 29, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 238,000, a decrease of 23,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 260,000 to 261,000. The 4-week moving average was 255,000, an increase of 7,750 from the previous week's revised average. ...

The Conference Board®−Burning Glass® Help Wanted OnLine® (HWOL) Index ticked down in January and now stands at 166.0 (July 2018=100), down slightly from 166.2 in November. The 0.2 percent decrease between December and January follows a 1.4 percent increase between November and December. Overall, the Index is up 53.7 percent from a ...

December 2021 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 $634.6 billion, up 0.2 percent (±0.4 percent)* from the revised November level and were up 21.8 percent (±1.9 percent) from the revised December ...

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 February 4, 2022.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 8.1 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 6 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index decreased 7 ...

The nation's international trade deficit in goods and services increased to $80.7 billion in December from $79.3 billion in November (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 $80.7 billion in December, up $1.4 ...

The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index decreased slightly in January to 97.1, down 1.8 points from December. Inflation remains a problem for small businesses as 22% of owners reported that inflation was their single most important business problem, unchanged from December when it reached the highest level since 1981. The net percent of ...

In 2021, consumer credit increased 5.9 percent, with revolving and nonrevolving credit increasing 6.6 percent and 5.7 percent, respectively. During the fourth quarter, consumer credit increased at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.6 percent, while in December it increased at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of ...

The Conference Board Employment Trends Index™ (ETI) fell in January and now stands at 117.62, down slightly from 117.94 in December 2021 (an upward revision).

“The Employment Trends Index was basically flat in January,” said Frank Steemers, Senior Economist at The Conference Board. “It appears that the Omicron variant did not impact job growth as much as initially feared. Solid job growth is likely to continue over the next ...

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 467,000 in January, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 4.0 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment growth continued in leisure and hospitality, in professional and business services, in retail trade, and in transportation and ...

Summary
New orders for manufactured goods in December, down following seven consecutive monthly increases, decreased $2.4 billion or 0.4 percent to $530.7 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. This followed a 1.8 percent November increase. Shipments, up nineteen of the last twenty months, increased $2.1 billion or 0.4 percent to ...

Economic activity in the services sector grew in January for the 20th month in a row — with the Services PMI® registering 59.9 percent — 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: “In January, the Services PMI® registered 59.9 percent, 2.4 percentage points below December’s seasonally ...

Nonfarm business sector labor productivity increased 6.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, as output increased 9.2 percent and hours worked increased 2.4 percent. (All quarterly percent changes in this release are seasonally adjusted annual rates.) From the fourth quarter of 2020 to ...

In the week ending January 29, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 238,000, a decrease of 23,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 260,000 to 261,000. The 4-week moving average was 255,000, an increase of 7,750 from the previous week's revised average. ...

U.S.-based employers announced virtually the same number of job cuts in January as in December with 19,064, up .063% from the 19,052 announced one month prior. It is 76% lower than the 79,552 cuts announced in the same month in 2021, according to a report released Thursday from global outplacement and business and executive coaching ...

Private sector employment decreased by 301,000 jobs from December to January according to the January ADP® National Employment Report. The December total of jobs added was revised from 807,000 to 776,000.

“The labor market recovery took a step back at the start of 2022 due to the effect of the Omicron variant and its significant, though likely temporary, impact to job growth,” said Nela Richardson, chief economist, ADP. “The majority of industry sectors experienced job loss, ...

Mortgage applications increased 12.0 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending January 28, 2022.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 12.0 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 15 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index increased 18 ...