Owners' Expectations for Earnings Raise Small Business Optimism Led by owners' expectations for earnings, economic conditions and staffing, seven of the Small Business Optimism Index 's 10 components increased during the month. The NFIB small Business Optimism Index edged 0.5 points higher in December, to 98.9. Staffing concerns and inflation remain the most pressing issues for [...]
US Drops Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum Imports US drops tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, according to a US Department of Commerce announcement on October 31. It will drop tariffs on steel and aluminum imported from the E.U. and replace them with a quota system to allow for some duty-free tax imports. In exchange, [...]
New Home Sales Jumped 14% New home sales jumped 14% to an 800k-unit pace in September, the strongest since March. The median selling price was up 18.7% over the year, a more moderate increase compared to the 23.3% realized in the prior month. Wells Fargo US Raw Steel Production Down from Previous Week In the [...]
US LEI Rose Again in September The US LEI rose again in September, though at a slower rate, suggesting the economy remains on a more moderate growth trajectory compared to the first half of the year,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, Senior Director of Economic Research at the Conference Board. The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) [...]
Demand is Strong According to the Chicago Business Barometer Demand is strong according to the Chicago Business Barometer, which jumped to 73.4 in July, a two-month high and the second highest pandemic era reading. Demand is strong but firms remain concerned about supply chain disruptions and rising prices. Among the five main indicators, Production saw [...]
US Drill Rigs Running Up 212 From a Year Ago US drill rigs running up 212 from one year ago. There were 475 drill rigs running in the US last week, up 5 rigs from the previous week. Canadian drillers added 10 rigs to 136, up 118 rigs from 1 year ago. US Raw Steel [...]
Manufacturing Activity Strengthened in May Manufacturing activity strengthened in May, according to the most recent Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Fifth District Survey of Manufacturing Activity report. All three component indexes-shipments, new orders and employment-reflected growth. The Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) Declined in April The Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) declined to [...]
Unfilled Orders Increased and New Orders and Shipments Continued to Expand Unfilled orders increased and new orders and shipments continued to expand strongly in May. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York released its Empire State Manufacturing Survey for May 2021 and reports business activity continued to grow at a solid pace in New York State, [...]
Chicago Fed National Activity Index Rose in March The Chicago Fed National Activity Index rose to +1.71 in March from -1.20 in February. Led by improvements in, personal consumption and housing related indicators, the index's three-month moving average (CFNAI-MA3) moved up to +0.40 in March. US Raw Steel Production Up 0.5% from Previous Week In [...]
Headline General Business Conditions Index Climbed Nine Points The headline general business conditions index climbed nine points; a multi-year high. That's according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York Empire State Manufacturing Survey for April, which reports business activity grew strongly in New York State, according to firms responding to the survey. . New [...]
