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Texas Factory Activity Improves as Wage Pressures Accelerate
March 1, 2026In February, Texas factory activity improved after expanding the prior month. The production index increased from 11.2 to 12.5, remaining above the series average of 9.6. The new orders index ticked down 0.7 points to 11.1, while the capacity utilization index stepped up 4.7 points to 11.8. Meanwhile, the shipments index decreased 2.1 points to…
Factory Orders Fall as Shipments Rise and Backlogs Grow
March 1, 2026New orders for manufactured goods decreased 0.7% in December following a 2.7% increase in November. Meanwhile, new orders for manufactured goods grew 3.7% over the year. When excluding transportation, new orders inched up 0.4% over the month and 0.9% year-over-year in December. Orders for durable goods declined 1.4% following a 5.4% rise in November. Year…
Residential Construction Picks Up in December But Remains Down Over the Year
February 23, 2026Building permits increased 4.3% in December but fell 2.2% over the year. Permits for single-family homes in December decreased 1.7% and 10.9% over the year. On the other hand, permits for buildings with five or more units surged 18.1% from November and 18.7% over the year. In December, housing starts rose 6.2% from November but…
New York Manufacturing Growth Slows as Shipments Drop and Prices Rise
February 23, 2026Manufacturing activity in New York state increased but at a slightly slower pace in February, with the headline business conditions index edging down 0.6 points to 7.1. The new orders index similarly ticked down but remained positive, decreasing 0.8 points to 5.8, while the shipments index plummeted 17.3 points to -1.0. Unfilled orders turned positive…
Philly Manufacturing Activity Reaches Five-Month High Despite Employment Slipping
February 23, 2026In February, Philadelphia’s regional manufacturing activity expanded for the second consecutive month to its highest level since September, with the index for general business activity advancing from 12.6 to 16.3. This month, 31.0% of firms reported increases in activity, while 14.7% of firms noted decreases. The indexes for new orders and shipments fell, moving from…
Flash Manufacturing PMI Falls to a Seven-Month Low as Orders and Output Ease
February 23, 2026The S&P Global Flash U.S. Manufacturing PMI fell from 52.4 to 51.2 in February, a seven-month low, although it remained positive. This continued the trend of seven consecutive months of growth, but marked the weakest advancement seen during that period. Factory production and new order growth both decreased in February, with production exhibiting its weakest…
January Industrial Production Rises as Manufacturing Output Increases
February 23, 2026Industrial production increased 0.7% in January, while manufacturing output rose 0.6% after staying the same in December. At 97.5% of its 2017 average, manufacturing production advanced 2.4% from January 2025. Capacity utilization for manufacturing was 75.6%, up 0.4 percentage points from December and 1.1% over the past year. Capacity utilization remained 2.6 percentage points below…
U.S. GDP Growth Slows in Q4 2025
February 23, 2026Real GDP increased at an annual rate of 1.4% in the fourth quarter of 2025, down from a 4.4% rise in the third quarter and below consensus expectations. The increase in GDP during the fourth quarter mostly reflected increases in consumer spending and investment, which were partially offset by reductions in government spending and exports.
Existing Home Sales Drop in January as Inventory Tightens and Time on Market Rises
February 17, 2026Existing home sales fell 8.4% in January, the largest monthly decline in nearly four years, and 4.4% over the year. Housing inventory moved down to 1.22 million units, reflecting a 0.8% drop from December but a 3.4% increase from last year. The median existing home price was $396,800, up 0.9% from last year. The Northeast…







