The Chicago Purchasing Managers reported the CHICAGO BUSINESS BAROMETER strengthened to its highest level since April, expanding for the fourteenth month.

BUSINESS ACTIVITY:
PRODUCTION reached its highest level since February 2005;
NEW ORDERS improved to a level not seen since 2007;
PRICES PAID neared April’s high for the year;
EMPLOYMENT tallied a sixth month of growth. ...

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had improved in October, increased further in November. The Index now stands at 54.1 (1985=100), up from 49.9 in October. The Present Situation Index rose to 24.0 from 23.5. The Expectations Index increased to 74.2 from 67.5 ...

Data through September 2010, released today by Standard & Poor’s for its S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices, show that the U.S. National Home Price Index declined 2.0% in the third quarter of 2010, after having risen 4.7% in the second quarter. Nationally, home prices are 1.5% below their ...

New York City business activity expanded at the quickest rate in five months, according to the survey taken by the Institute for Supply Management-New York (ISM-NY). The Current Business Conditions index rose to 65.6 in November from 64.7 in October.

Future optimism reached a six-month high. The Six-Month Outlook index increased to 71.9 in November from 69.8 in October. ...

As the traditional start of the 2010 holiday season got underway last Friday, retailers enjoyed some early holiday cheer as consumers woke up early on Black Friday and shopped. Overall for the week ending November 27, weekly retail sales rose by 0.5 percent after two weeks of sluggish sales, according to the ICSC-Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain ...

The Chicago Fed Midwest Manufacturing Index (CFMMI) increased 0.7% in October, to a seasonally adjusted level of 80.9 (2007 = 100). Revised data show the index edged up 0.2% in September to 80.3. The Federal Reserve Board’s industrial production index for manufacturing (IPMFG) increased 0.6% in October. Regional output in October rose 8.6% from ...

Texas factory activity increased in November, according to business executives responding to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, was positive for the third consecutive month and came in at a reading of 13, up from 7 in ...

Growth in Tenth District manufacturing activity increased in November, and producers remained optimistic about future activity. Price indexes in the survey continued to edge higher, particularly for raw materials.

The net percentage of firms reporting month-over-month increases in production in November was 21, up from 10 in October and 14 in September. The increase in production occurred among both durable and nondurable goods producing plants, with a sharp rise in machinery, ...

The economic news heard by consumers about jobs grew significantly more favorable in November. Unfortunately, the favorable job news only had a small impact on how consumers expected the overall unemployment rate to change in the year ahead. The majority of consumers anticipated the jobless rate to remain stuck at its current high level ...

Sales of new single-family houses in October 2010 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 283,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 8.1 percent (±16.1%) below the revised September rate of 308,000 and is 28.5 percent (±12.6%) below the ...

For the week ending November 13, 2010, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer increased by +0.2 percent on top of a slightly downward revised increase of +0.1 percent in the prior week (originally reported as +0.2%). To-date in the fourth quarter the barometer has lost steam compared to the prior quarter. This is depicted in our expectations for ...

New orders for manufactured durable goods in October decreased $6.8 billion or 3.3 percent to $196.0 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This decrease, down two of the last three months, followed a 5.0 percent September increase. Excluding transportation, new orders decreased 2.7 percent. Excluding defense, new orders decreased ...

Personal income increased $57.6 billion, or 0.5 percent, and disposable personal income (DPI) increased $48.3 billion, or 0.4 percent, in October, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $44.0 billion, or 0.4 percent. In September, personal income decreased $2.8 billion, or less than ...

In the week ending Nov. 20, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 407,000, a decrease of 34,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 441,000. The 4-week moving average was 436,000, a decrease of 7,500 from the previous week's revised average of ...

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending November 19, 2010. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 2.1 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 1.1 percent ...

Existing-home sales retreated in October on the heels of two strong monthly gains, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.

Existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, declined 2.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.43 million in October from 4.53 million in September, and are 25.9 percent below the 5.98 ...

Manufacturing activity in the central Atlantic region advanced somewhat faster in November, according to the Richmond Fed's latest survey. All broad indicators — shipments, new orders and employment — posted solid gains. Other indicators were also generally positive. District contacts reported that growth in capacity utilization grew at a ...

Employers took 1,651 mass layoff actions in October that resulted in the separation of 148,059 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single employer. The number of mass ...

Real gross domestic product -- the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States -- increased at an annual rate of 2.5 percent in the third quarter of 2010, (that is, from the second quarter to the third quarter), according to the "second" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In ...

As the traditional start of the 2010 holiday season begins this week, consumers took a pre-holiday break from shopping this past week to prepare for Thanksgiving and get prepared for Black Friday shopping with about a third of consumers saying they will be out shopping that day. As a result weekly retail slipped (-0.6%) once again, according ...

Led by improvements in production- and employment-related indicators, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index increased to –0.28 in October from –0.52 in September. Three of the four broad categories of indicators that make up the index made small positive contributions in October, while the consumption and housing category continued to make ...

Results from the Business Outlook Survey suggest that regional manufacturing activity showed improvement in November. All of the survey's broad indicators of economic performance showed improvement from their reading in October, and firms reported an increase in employment and work hours. More firms reported increases in input prices this ...

For the week ending November 6, 2010, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer increased by +0.2 percent on broad strength among production and consumption components. Mortgage applications jumped for a third consecutive week, as did inflation-adjusted chain store sales. Retailers have ramped up holiday inventories and have a brighter outlook this ...

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. increased 0.5 percent in October to 111.3 (2004=100), following a 0.5 percent increase in September, and a 0.1 percent increase in August.

The LEI remains on an upward trend, suggesting the modest economic expansion will continue in the near term. The LEI’s growth has been slowing this year, but gains in the financial components helped its pickup in October. ...

In the week ending Nov. 13, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 439,000, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 437,000. The 4-week moving average was 443,000, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week's revised average of ...

BUILDING PERMITS
Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in October were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 550,000. This is 0.5 percent (±3.0%) above the revised September rate of 547,000, but is 4.5 percent (±3.1%) below the October 2009 estimate of 576,000. Single-family authorizations in October were at a rate ...

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.2 percent in October on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 1.2 percent before seasonal adjustment.

As has frequently been the case in recent months, an increase in the ...

Real average hourly earnings for all employees fell 0.1 percent from September to October, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This decrease stems from a 0.2 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), which offset a 0.2 percent increase in average ...

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending November 12, 2010. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 14.4 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. The results do not include an adjustment for Veterans Day. On ...

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes improved slightly in November, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), released today. The HMI rose one notch to 16 from a downwardly revised level of 15 in the ...

Industrial production was unchanged in October after having fallen 0.2 percent in September. For the manufacturing sector, output gained 0.5 percent in October after having risen 0.1 percent in September. Factory production in September was initially reported to have decreased 0.2 percent, but incoming data on steel, fabricated metal ...

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today released Treasury International Capital (TIC) data for September 2010. Net foreign purchases of long-term securities were $81.0 billion.

Net foreign purchases of long-term U.S. securities were $91.4 billion. Of this, net purchases by private foreign investors were $83.8 billion, and net purchases by foreign official institutions were $7.6 billion. U.S. residents purchased a net $10.4 billion of long-term ...

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods increased 0.4 percent in October, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This advance followed a 0.4 percent rise in both September and August. At the earlier stages of processing, prices received by manufacturers of intermediate goods moved up 1.2 percent in ...

Weekly retail sales declined by 0.1% according to the ICSC-Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Index. On a year-over-year basis, retail sales maintained momentum and rose by 3.4 percent.

“Sales slipped a tad in the latest week as uneven weather patterns and a slower ramp-up for holiday gift buying affected the weekly flow,” said Michael Niemira, ICSC director of research and chief economist. “But still, the year-over-year pace of sales continues to hold up ...

The pace of recovery in output and employment in the U.S. economy looks a little slower now than it did three months ago, according to 43 forecasters surveyed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The panel expects real GDP to grow at an annual rate of 2.2 percent this quarter, down from the previous estimate of 2.8 percent. On ...

Sales. The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that the combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments for September, adjusted for seasonal and trading-day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $1,101.0 billion, up 0.5 percent (±0.3%) from August 2010, and up 8.9 percent (±0.5%) from ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for October, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $373.1 billion, an increase of 1.2 percent (±0.5%) from the previous month, and 7.3 percent (±0.7%) above October 2009. ...

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey indicates that conditions deteriorated in November for New York State manufacturers. For the first time since mid-2009, the general business conditions index fell below zero, declining 27 points to -11.1. The new orders index plummeted 37 points to -24.4, and the shipments index also fell below zero. ...

For the week ending October 30, 2010, the DJ-BTMU U.S. Business Barometer declined by -0.1 percent. In October, the barometer revealed a weakening in the industrial side of the economy that was reflected in the October payroll report in which manufacturing shed jobs for a third consecutive month. At the same time, jobs in private services ...

The Nation’s international trade deficit in goods and services decreased to $44.0 billion in September from $46.5 billion (revised) in August, as exports increased and imports decreased.

The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, through the Department of Commerce, announced today that total September exports of $154.1 billion and imports of $198.1 billion resulted in a goods and services deficit of $44.0 billion, down from $46.5 ...

U.S. import prices rose 0.9 percent in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, after edging down 0.1 percent in September. Higher fuel and nonfuel prices contributed to the increase in October. Export prices advanced for the third consecutive month in October, rising ...

In the week ending Nov. 6, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 435,000, a decrease of 24,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 459,000. The 4-week moving average was 446,500, a decrease of 10,000 from the previous week's revised average of ...

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending November 5, 2010. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 5.8 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 5.4 percent ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that September 2010 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 $353.9 billion, up 0.4 percent (+/-1.1%)* from the revised August level and were up 11.9 percent ...

There were 2.9 million job openings on the last business day of September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The job openings rate was little changed over the month at 2.2 percent. The hires rate and separations rate both remained at 3.2 percent in September. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job ...

Mother Nature provided the blast of cold air that retailers sorely needed this past week. As a result weekly retail sales rose by 1.3 percent — the strongest week-over-week pace since mid July, according to the ICSC-Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Index. On a year-over-year basis, retail sales gained momentum and rose by 3.4 percent. ...

The Index of Small Business Optimism gained 2.7 points in October rising to 91.7. Although the increase is not a huge move, it is an improvement, perhaps anticipating an acceleration in economic activity. However, the Index still remains in recession territory.

Optimism rose again in October to 91.7, but remains stuck in the recession zone established over the past two years, not a good reading even with a 2.7 point improvement over September. This is still a recession level reading based on Index values since 1973. However, job ...

The Conference Board Employment Trends Index™ (ETI) increased in October, after a slight decline in September. The index now stands at 98.1, up from September’s revised figure of 97.3. The index is up over 10 percent from a year ago.

The improvement in the ETI in October suggests that negative job growth in the next quarter or two is very unlikely. However, we forecast sluggish economic activity until mid 2011, at the earliest. Employment growth will likely remain weak in 2011. ...

Consumer credit declined 1-1/2 percent at an annual rate in the third quarter. Revolving credit declined 8-3/4 percent at an annual rate, and nonrevolving credit increased 2-1/2 percent. In September, consumer credit increased 1 percent at an annual rate.

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Pending home sales retreated after two monthly gains, signaling an uneven recovery entering 2011 with some near-term disruptions from the foreclosure moratorium, according to the National Association of Realtors®. The report was released here at the 2010 Realtors® Conference ...