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Industrial production increased 0.2% in February, while manufacturing output rose by the same amount after expanding 0.8% in January. At 97.6% of its 2017 average, manufacturing production advanced 1.3% from February 2025. Capacity utilization for manufacturing was 75.6%, unchanged from January but up 1.1% over the past year. Capacity utilization remained 2.6 percentage points below…

Building permits declined 5.4% in January and 5.8% over the year. Permits for single-family homes in January decreased 0.9% and 11.6% over the year. On the other hand, permits for buildings with five or more units plummeted 13.4% in January but rose 8.9% over the year. In January, housing starts jumped 7.2% in January and…

Existing home sales rose 1.7% in February but fell 1.4% over the year. Housing inventory moved up to 1.29 million units, increasing 2.4% from January and 4.9% from last year. The median existing home price was $398,000, up 0.3% from last year. The Midwest, South and West posted monthly increases in existing home sales, while…

The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index inched down 0.5 points to 98.8 in February, remaining just above the 52-year average of 98. February’s decrease was due primarily to a decline in sales expectations, which more than offset a jump in earnings trends. Of the 10 components included in the index, three increased, four decreased and…

Job openings for manufacturing increased by 69,000 to 495,000 in January. On the other hand, the December job openings level of 426,000 was revised downward from 433,000 in the previous report. Nondurable goods job openings in January rose by 16,000 to 155,000, while durable goods job openings climbed by 53,000 to 340,000. The manufacturing job…

In February, consumer prices increased 0.3% from January and 2.4% over the year, unchanged from the 2.4% annual rise in January. Core CPI, which excludes more volatile energy and food prices, rose 0.2% from January and 2.5% over the year, also unchanged from the 2.5% 12-month increase the month prior. Energy costs advanced 0.6% over…

U.S. import prices increased 0.2% in January, after a similar rise in December, with higher nonfuel prices more than offsetting lower prices for fuel in January. Over the past year, import prices declined 0.1%. Meanwhile, U.S. export prices rose 0.6% in January, with both higher nonagricultural and agricultural export prices driving the increase. Over the…

The S&P Global Manufacturing PMI was 51.6 in February, down from the January reading of 52.4. New orders rose in February, but at a slower pace than the prior month. At the same time, exports declined for the eighth consecutive month as tariffs continued to drive up costs and hurt demand from Canada. Prices on…