Texas factory activity declined in May after two months of increases, according to business executives responding to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, fell from 5.8 to -13.1, hitting its lowest reading in ...

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had decreased in April, declined further in May. The Index now stands at 92.6 (1985=100), down from 94.7 in April. The Present Situation Index decreased from 117.1 to 112.9, while the Expectations Index declined from 79.7 to 79.0 ...

The MNI Chicago Business Barometer fell 1.1 points to 49.3 in May from 50.4 in April, the lowest level since February and the sixth time it has been in contraction over the past 12 months.

Following the decline in April, the latest results show activity stumbling in the second quarter, following only moderate growth in Q1. Barring a solid revival in June, Q2 could be the weakest outturn since Q4 2015 given the April-May average of just 49.9. ...

S&P Dow Jones Indices today released the latest results for the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices. Data released today for March 2016 shows that home prices continued their rise across the country over the last 12 months.

YEAR-OVER-YEAR
The S&P/Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index, covering all nine U.S. census divisions, reported a 5.2% annual gain in March, down from 5.3% the previous month. The 10-City Composite and the 20-City Composites’ year-over-year gains remained unchanged at ...

Personal income increased $69.8 billion, or 0.4 percent, and disposable personal income (DPI) increased $63.5 billion, or 0.5 percent, in April, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $119.2 billion, or 1.0 percent. In March, personal income increased $56.7 billion, or 0.4 percent, ...

The Paychex | IHS Small Business Jobs Index declined 0.18 percent in May, from 100.77 to 100.59, following steady results in March and April. Altogether, however, the pace of small business employment growth has increased 0.22 percent since the start of 2016. At 101.72, East South Central jumped to the top spot among regions, gaining 0.40 ...

Consumer sentiment rebounded in May to its highest level in the last nine months. There have been only four times out of the last 110 monthly surveys that the Sentiment Index was higher. The renewed strength was due to increased jobs and incomes as well as low inflation and interest rates. In addition, homeowners more frequently reported gains ...

Real gross domestic product -- the value of the goods and services produced by the nation’s economy less the value of the goods and services used up in production, adjusted for price changes -- increased at an annual rate of 0.8 percent in the first quarter of 2016, according to the "second" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. ...

Tenth District manufacturing activity continued to decline modestly, while producers’ expectations for future activity remained slightly positive. Most raw material price indexes rose moderately in May, but selling prices fell slightly.

The month-over-month composite index was -5 in May, which is largely unchanged from April and March readings. The composite index is an average of the production, new orders, employment, supplier delivery time, and raw materials inventory indexes. Nondurable goods ...

Pending home sales rose for the third consecutive month in April and reached their highest level in over a decade, according to the National Association of Realtors®. All major regions saw gains in contract activity last month except for the Midwest, which saw a ...

New orders for manufactured durable goods in April increased $7.7 billion or 3.4 percent to $235.9 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This increase, up three of the last four months, followed a 1.9 percent March increase. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.4 percent. Excluding defense, new orders increased 3.7 ...

In the week ending May 21, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 268,000, a decrease of 10,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 278,000. The 4-week moving average was 278,500, an increase of 2,750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 275,750. There were no special factors impacting this week's ...

Mortgage applications increased 2.3 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending May 20, 2016.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 2.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 2 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index increased 0.4 ...

Sales of new single-family houses in April 2016 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 619,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 16.6 percent (±15.4%) above the revised March rate of 531,000 and is 23.8 percent (±22.8%) above the April ...

Fifth District manufacturing activity slowed in May, according to the most recent survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Shipments and backlogs decreased, and order backlogs flattened this month. Manufacturing hiring rose modestly, while average wages continued to increase at a moderate pace. Prices of raw materials and finished ...

The respondents to May’s Nonmanufacturing Business Outlook Survey continued to report moderate growth in current activity at their firms. The diffusion indexes for new orders and sales rose, while the index for full-time employment was little changed. However, responding firms reported a lower level of optimism about future activity at the ...

Despite ongoing inventory shortages and faster price growth, existing-home sales sustained their recent momentum and moved higher for the second consecutive month, according to the National Association of Realtors®. A surge in sales in the Midwest and a decent increase in the Northeast offset smaller declines in the South ...

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. increased 0.6 percent in April to 123.9 (2010 = 100), following no change in March, and a 0.1 percent increase in February.

“The U.S. LEI picked up sharply in April, with all components except consumer expectations contributing to the rebound from an essentially flat first quarter,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, Director of Business Cycles and Growth Research at The Conference Board. “Despite a slow ...

In the week ending May 14, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 278,000, a decrease of 16,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 294,000. The 4-week moving average was 275,750, an increase of 7,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 268,250. There were no special factors impacting this week's ...

The index’s three-month moving average, CFNAI-MA3, decreased to –0.22 in April from –0.18 in March. April’s CFNAI-MA3 suggests that growth in national economic activity was somewhat below its historical trend. The economic growth reflected in this level of the CFNAI-MA3 suggests subdued inflationary pressure from economic activity over the ...

Firms responding to the Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey continued to report tenuous growth this month. The indicator for general activity was essentially unchanged in May and remained slightly negative. Other broad indicators also reflected general weakness in business conditions. The indicator for employment improved but remained ...

Mortgage applications decreased 1.6 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending May 13, 2016.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 1.6 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 2 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index increased 1 ...

Industrial production increased 0.7 percent in April after decreasing in the previous two months. Manufacturing output rose 0.3 percent after declining the same amount in March. The index for utilities jumped 5.8 percent in April, as the demand for electricity and natural gas returned to a more normal level after being suppressed ...

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.4 percent in April on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index rose 1.1 percent before seasonal adjustment.

The seasonally adjusted all items increase was broad-based, with the indexes for food, energy, and all items less food and energy all rising in April. The food index rose 0.2 percent after declining in March, with the food at home index increasing slightly. The index for ...

Real average hourly earnings for all employees increased 0.2 percent from February to March, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This result stems from a 0.3-percent increase in average hourly earnings being partially offset by a 0.1-percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban ...

BUILDING PERMITS
Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in April were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,116,000. This is 3.6 percent (±1.3%) above the revised March rate of 1,077,000, but is 5.3 percent (±1.3%) below the April 2015 estimate of Single-family authorizations in April were at a rate of 736,000; this ...

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today released Treasury International Capital (TIC) data for March 2016. The sum total in March of all net foreign acquisitions of long-term securities, short-term U.S. securities, and banking flows was a monthly net TIC outflow of $98.3 billion. Of this, net foreign private outflows were $51.5 billion, and ...

Builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes remained unchanged in May at a level of 58 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI).

“Builder confidence has held steady at 58 for four straight months, which indicates that the single-family housing sector remains in positive territory,” said NAHB Chairman Ed Brady, a home builder and developer from Bloomington, Ill. “However, builders are facing an ...

The May 2016 Empire State Manufacturing Survey indicates that business activity declined for New York manufacturers. The headline general business conditions index turned negative, falling nineteen points to -9.0. The new orders and shipments indexes also fell below zero, pointing to a decline in both orders and shipments. Survey results ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that the combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments for March, adjusted for seasonal and trading-day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $1,289.2 billion, up 0.3 percent (±0.2%) from February 2016, but was down 1.7 percent (±0.5%) from ...

The economy looks slightly weaker now than it did three months ago, according to 42 forecasters surveyed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The forecasters predict real GDP will grow at an annual rate of 2.1 percent this quarter and 2.4 percent next quarter. On an annual-average over annual-average basis, real GDP will grow 1.7 ...

The Producer Price Index for final demand rose 0.2 percent in April, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Final demand prices declined 0.1 percent in March and 0.2 percent in February. On an unadjusted basis, the final demand index was unchanged for the 12 months ended ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for April, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $453.4 billion, an increase of 1.3 percent (±0.5%) from the previous month, and 3.0 percent (±0.7%) above April 2015. Total ...

For the week ending April 30 2016, the MUFG U.S. Business Barometer remained flat at 98.0, as gains in some indexes were cancelled out by losses in others. Chain store sales, for example, declined by 1.0 percent after rising for three consecutive weeks. Likewise, auto and coal production dropped by 2.7 and 7.1 percent, respectively. On the ...

The price index for U.S. imports rose 0.3 percent in April following a 0.3-percent increase in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The increases in both April and March were led by higher fuel prices. U.S. export prices increased 0.5 percent in April, after recording no change the previous month. Both agricultural ...

In the week ending May 7, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 294,000, an increase of 20,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 274,000. This is the highest level for initial claims since February 28, 2015 when it was 310,000. The 4-week moving average was 268,250, an increase of 10,250 from the previous ...

Mortgage applications increased 0.4 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending May 6, 2016.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 0.4 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 1 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index increased 0.5 ...

The number of job openings was little changed at 5.8 million on the last business day of March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Hires edged down to 5.3 million while separations were little changed at 5.0 million. Within separations, the quits rate was 2.1 percent, and the layoffs and discharges rate was 1.2 percent. ...

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that March 2016 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 $430.7 billion, up 0.7 percent (+/-0.5%) from the revised February level, but were down 2.0 percent ...

The Index of Small Business Optimism increased 1.0 points after months of (small) declines, rising to 93.6. Five of the 10 Index components posted a gain, four were unchanged and one posted a small decline. Owners remain very pessimistic about the economy. It was a relief though to see the Index turn up, ending a long string of declines. ...

The Conference Board Employment Trends Index™ (ETI) increased in April, after decreasing in March. The index now stands at 128.28, up from 126.42 in March. The change represents a 1.4 percent gain in the ETI compared to a year ago.

“Despite the April bounce back in the Employment Trends Index, its growth has slowed in recent months, suggesting that job growth will also slow,” said Gad Levanon, Chief Economist, North America, at The Conference Board. “Employers have become more cautious as economic ...

Consumer credit increased at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6-1/2 percent during the first quarter. Revolving credit increased at an annual rate of 6 percent, while nonrevolving credit increased at an annual rate of 6-1/2 percent. In March, consumer credit increased at an annual rate of ...

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 160,000 in April, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.0 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job gains occurred in professional and business services, health care, and financial activities. Job losses continued ...

For the week ending April 23 2016, the MUFG U.S. Business Barometer bounced back by 0.2 percent to 98.0. Although this week’s barometer went up, it was characterized by mixed performances in both consumption and production indexes. Chain store sales increased again by 0.5 percent, extending the rise for two consecutive weeks. However, ...

In the week ending April 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 274,000, an increase of 17,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 257,000. The 4-week moving average was 258,000, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's unrevised average of 256,000. There were no special factors impacting this week's ...

The pace of downsizing increased in April, as US-based employers announced workforce reductions totaling 65,141 during the month, according to the latest report released Thursday from global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

The April figure represents a 35 percent increase over March, when employers announced 48,207 planned layoffs. Last month’s job cuts were 5.8 percent higher than the 61,582 recorded in April 2015. ...

New orders for manufactured goods in March, up two of the last three months, increased $5.0 billion or 1.1 percent to $458.4 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. This followed a 1.9 percent February decrease.

Shipments, up following eight consecutive monthly decreases, increased $2.2 billion or 0.5 percent to $464.7 billion. This followed a 0.8 percent February decrease. Unfilled orders, down three of the last four months, decreased $1.2 billion or 0.1 percent to $1,182.6 ...

Online advertised vacancies increased 39,600 to 5,170,100 in April, according to The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine® (HWOL) Data Series,released today. The March Supply/Demand rate stands at 1.55 unemployed for each advertised vacancy with a total of 2.8 million more unemployed workers than the number of advertised vacancies. The number ...

Economic activity in the non-manufacturing sector grew in April for the 75th consecutive month, say the nation's purchasing and supply executives in the latest Non-Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business®.

The NMI® registered 55.7 percent in April, 1.2 percentage points higher than the March reading of 54.5 percent. This represents continued growth in the non-manufacturing sector at a slightly faster rate. The Non-Manufacturing Business Activity Index decreased to 58.8 ...

Nonfarm business sector labor productivity decreased at a 1.0-percent annual rate during the first quarter of 2016, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, as output increased 0.4 percent and hours worked increased 1.5 percent. (All quarterly percent changes in this release are seasonally adjusted annual rates.) From the first ...