Economic Data and Growth

In May, Philadelphia’s regional manufacturing activity contracted slightly after four consecutive months of growth, with the index for general business activity falling from 26.7 to -0.4. This month, 22.9% of firms noted decreases in activity, while 22.5% reported increases. New orders declined, moving from 33.0 to -1.7, while shipments grew at a slower pace, dropping …

Manufacturing activity grew at a slightly slower pace in the Tenth District in May, with the month-over-month composite index decreasing to 8 in May from 10 in April. Meanwhile, expectations for future activity ticked up 1 point to 19. The month-over-month activity slowdown was due to a decline in growth of durable manufacturing, which offset …

The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index edged up 0.1 point to 95.9 in April, remaining below the 52-year average of 98. April’s increase was due to improvements in most indices, with the largest uptick in earnings trends, which were partially offset by a notable decline in expected business conditions. Of the 10 components included in …

Manufacturing activity in New York state expanded in May, with the headline business conditions index rising 8.6 points to 19.6, the highest reading since April 2022. The new orders index increased 3.4 points to 22.7, while the shipments index declined 1.3 points to 18.9, both remaining at high rates of growth for the second consecutive …

U.S. import prices increased 1.9% in April, after rising 0.9% in March, with higher fuel and nonfuel prices driving the increase. Over the year, import prices advanced 4.2% in April, the largest 12-month increase since October 2022. Meanwhile, U.S. export prices stepped up 3.3% in April, driven by higher prices for nonagricultural and agricultural exports. …

Industrial production rose 0.7% in April, while manufacturing output advanced 0.6% after ticking up 0.1% in March. At 97.9% of its 2017 average, manufacturing production increased 1.3% from April 2025. Capacity utilization for manufacturing was 75.8%, up 0.4 percentage points from March and 1.1% over the past year. Capacity utilization remained 2.4 percentage points below …

The Producer Price Index for final demand (also known as wholesale prices) rose 1.4% over the month in April, up from the 0.7% increase in March. Over the year, producer prices jumped 6.0%, up from 4.3% in March and the largest 12-month increase since December 2022. Meanwhile, prices for final demand excluding foods, energy and …

In April, consumer prices increased 0.6% from March and 3.8% over the year, up from the 3.3% annual rise in March and the greatest over-the-year increase since May 2023. Core CPI, which excludes more volatile energy and food prices, rose 0.4% from March and 2.8% over the year, up slightly from the 2.6% 12-month increase …

Building permits fell 10.8% in March and 7.4% over the year. Permits for single-family homes in March decreased 3.8% and 7.9% over the year. At the same time, permits for buildings with five or more units plummeted 23.5% from February and 5.3% over the year. In March, housing starts jumped 10.8% from February and the …

In February, the S&P Cotality Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index recorded a 0.7% annual gain, down from the 0.8% rise in January. The 10-City Composite increased 1.5%, down from 1.7% the previous month, while the 20-City Composite rose 0.9% year-over-year, down from 1.2% in January. Among the 20 cities, Chicago posted the highest …