News & Insights

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 …

Consumer confidence inched up 0.6 points in April to 92.8. Among its components, the Present Situation Index contracted while the Expectations Index improved as customers’ concerns regarding the present situation worsened and concerns about the future eased. The Present Situation Index, reflecting current business and labor market conditions, edged down 0.3 points to 123.8. Meanwhile, …

In April, Texas factory activity expanded at a faster pace after weakening the prior month. The production index increased from 6.8 to 19.0, climbing well above the series average of 9.6. The new orders index stepped up 3.8 points to 9.9, while the capacity utilization index jumped 12.6 points to 19.8, both above the series …

Manufacturing activity in the Fifth District rose in April after staying the same in March, with the composite manufacturing index increasing from 0 to 3. At the same time, the local business conditions index advanced from -5 to 10 in April. Despite an improvement in the headline index in April, manufacturers are less optimistic about …

The S&P Global Manufacturing PMI was 54.5 in April, up from the March reading of 52.3. New orders grew at the fastest pace in four years in April, but exports declined for the 11th consecutive month as tariffs and the conflict in the Middle East drove up costs and hindered foreign demand. Meanwhile, input and …

As anticipated, the Federal Open Market Committee maintained its interest rate target range at 3.50%–3.75% at its April meeting. On the other hand, one FOMC member—Stephen Miran—dissented from the action, preferring to lower the target range by 25 basis points. In a change to its previous statement, the FOMC noted that inflation remains elevated, in …

In April, the U.S. manufacturing sector expanded for the fourth consecutive month and at the same pace as the prior month, with the ISM Manufacturing® PMI remaining at 52.7% from March. Certain demand indicators, such as the New Orders and Backlog of Orders indexes, stayed in expansion territory, while the New Export Orders Index remained …