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Building permits increased 5.0% in July and 3.1% over the year. Permits for single-family homes in July rose 2.5% and 1.1% over the year. At the same time, permits for buildings with five or more units climbed 9.1% from June and 6.3% over the year. In July, housing starts fell 12.4% from June and 13.5%…

Industrial production ticked up 0.2% in July, while manufacturing output rose by a similar amount after increasing 0.3% in June. At 98.4% of its 2017 average, manufacturing production moved up 1.2% from July 2025. Capacity utilization for manufacturing was 76.0%, up slightly from 75.9% in June and up 1.0% over the past year. Capacity utilization…

In August, Philadelphia’s regional manufacturing activity expanded to its highest level since April 2021, with the index for general business activity climbing from 41.4 to 47.4. This month, 56.9% reported increases, while 9.6% reported decreases. New orders declined, moving down from 37.0 to 30.1, while shipments decreased from 33.7 to 27.7. Meanwhile, employment improved to…

The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index increased 2.4 points to 99.8 in July, climbing above the 52-year average of 98. July’s gain was due to an improvement in hiring and capital investment plans. Of the 10 components in the index, eight increased and two decreased. Meanwhile, the Uncertainty Index rose 2 points to 91, still…

In July, consumer prices increased 0.1% from June and 3.4% over the year, down from the 3.5% annual rise in June. Core CPI, which excludes more volatile energy and food prices, rose 0.2% in July and 2.5% over the year, down from the 2.6% 12-month growth the prior month. Energy costs declined 1.5% over the…

The Producer Price Index for final demand (also known as wholesale prices) was unchanged over the month in July after edging down 0.1% in June. Over the year, producer prices increased 4.7%, down from the 5.5% gain in June. Meanwhile, prices for final demand excluding foods, energy and trade services climbed 4.7% from July 2025…