Philly Fed Index Sub-Zero Fourth Consecutive Month

Sign Up to receive Email Alerts for all the market-moving FLASH Headline Reports

Economic Update: Philadelphia Fed Index

The Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Index was reported at -7.9 in August, which was once again below the consensus for a reading of -4.9 but represents a modest uptick from last month’s reading of -12.9 (June: -16.6, May: -5.8, April: +8.5). Note that this was the fourth consecutive negative monthly reading.

According to the report, “Firms responding to the August Business Outlook Survey continued to report weakness in overall business conditions. The survey’s indicators for general activity and new orders remained negative for the fourth consecutive month, but both increased slightly from July. Firms also reported slight overall declines in employment and shorter work hours this month. Indicators of expected activity over the next six months remained positive but moderated for the second consecutive month.”

Employment index: −8.6 (its third negative reading in four months)

Prices Paid (measure of inflation): 11.2 vs 3.7

New Orders: -5.5 vs. -6.9

According to Investopedia, the Philly Fed Index is a regional federal-reserve-bank index measuring changes in business growth. The index is constructed from a survey of participants who voluntarily answer questions regarding the direction of change in their overall business activities. The survey is a measure of regional manufacturing growth. When the index is above 0 it indicates factory-sector growth, and when below 0 indicates contraction.

Other stories on the US Economy to review:

• Housing Starts Down and Building Permits Up in July
  
• Industrial Production, Capacity Utilization Up in July
  
• Empire Manufacturing Dives in August
  
• CPI Remained Flat in July
  
• Retail Sales Rebound in July
  
• PPI Hotter Than Expected in July
  
• NFIB Small Business Optimism Sags
  
• Wholesale Inventories Decline - And Yes, you should Care
  
• Q2 Worker Productivity and Labor Costs Rise
  
• ISM Services Perks Up
  
• Job Growth Improves in July
  
• Factory Orders Miss Mark in June
  
• Challenger Planned Job Cuts Drop in July
  
• ISM Manufacturing Still Sub-50 in July
  
• ADP Employment Report Surprises to Upside in July
  
• Consumer Confidence Perks Up in July, But...
  
• Chicago PMI Headline BTE, But Employment Dives
  
• Personal Income Up, Spending Flat in June
  
• GDP Slows to 1.5% in Q2
  
• Pending Home Sales Down in June
  
• Durable Goods Up on Transportation Orders
  
• Markit's Flash Manufacturing PMI Weakest in 19 Months

 

Remember, you are in control your email alerts! You can receive alerts for more than 25 free research report alerts including: The “10.0” Report, The Insiders Report, ETF Leaders Report, and The Focus List.