The ISM Manufacturing Index fell to 48.2 points in December – down 0.4 points from November’s reading. December’s reading marked only the second monthly contraction since November 2012, as readings below 50 indicate contraction in the manufacturing industry. Of the eighteen industries, six reported expansion, while ten reported contraction for December. Business sentiment was mixed
Construction spending fell 0.4 percent in November to $1,122.5 billion (SAAR). October’s spending estimate was revised up to $1,127.0 billion. Construction spending during the first 11 months of 2015 amounted to $1,011.9 billion, 10.7 percent higher than in the first 11 months of 2014. Total private construction spending fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate
The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index improved in December to 96.5, after declining the previous two months. The Present Situation Index also increased to 115.3, up from 110.9 the previous month. The Expectations Index rose to 83.9, up from 80.4 in November. According to Lynn Franco, Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board, “As
The 20-City Case-Shiller Composite gained 5.5 percent year-over-year in October, up from September’s gain of 5.4 percent. The 10-City Composite gained 5.1 percent from the previous year, up from a 4.9 percent annual increase last month. The National Index posted a 5.2 percent annual increase, compared to a 4.9 percent increase in September. On a
Consumer sentiment rose to 92.6 in December, up 1.3 points from the previous month according to the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index. Confidence is now at the highest level since July. “The December gain was largely due to lower inflation, which bolstered real incomes and brightened buying plans for household durables,” said Richard Curtin,
Sales of new single-family homes rose in November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 490,000 according to the U.S. Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development. The November rate is 4.3 percent above the revised October rate of 470,000, and 9.1 percent above the year ago rate of 449,000. New home sales
Personal income increased $44.4 billion, or 0.3 percent in November, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, down from a 0.4 percent October increase. Personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $40.1 billion, or 0.3 percent. Real disposable personal income – personal income less taxes – increased 0.2 percent, down from 0.3 percent in October. The personal
New orders for manufactured durable goods were virtually unchanged in November, increasing $0.1 billion to $238.8 billion according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The November increase followed a 2.9 percent increase in October. The majority of the increase was attributable to an increase in new orders for transportation equipment. Excluding transportation, new orders decreased 0.1
Existing home sales fell 10.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.76 million in November according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the lowest rate since April 2014. Existing home sales are now 3.8 percent below a year ago, the first year over year decline since September 2014. The NAR report suggests
House prices in the U.S. rose 0.5 percent in October on a seasonally adjusted basis according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) monthly House Price Index (HPI), down from a revised 0.7 percent increase in September. The FHFA HPI is calculated using home sales information from mortgages sold to or guaranteed by Fannie Mae