Haver Analytics
Haver Analytics
Global| Jul 25 2007

Chicago Fed Nat'l Activity Index Improved

Summary

The National Activity Index (CFNAI) from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago improved in June to 0.11 from negative values which had been sustained during four of the prior five months. The categories of production, income, sales and [...]


The National Activity Index (CFNAI) from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago improved in June to 0.11 from negative values which had been sustained during four of the prior five months.

The categories of production, income, sales and orders made positive contributions while the employment, consumption and housing categories were negative.

The three-month moving average of the CFNAI also improved but only slightly to a still negative value of -0.15, up from its worst level of -0.47 last November.

A zero value of the CFNAI indicates that the economy is expanding at its historical trend rate of growth and during the last twenty years there has been a 68% correlation between the level of the CFNAI and q/q growth in real GDP.

All of the CFNAI components contributed to the January decline includingproduction, employment, consumption and housing.

The CFNAI is a weighted average of 85 indicators of economic activity. The indicators reflect activity in the following categories: production and income, the labor market, personal consumption and housing, manufacturing and trade sales, and inventories & orders.

The complete CFNAI report is available here.

Chicago Fed June May June '06 2006 2005 2004
CFNAI 0.11 -0.32 0.32 0.04 0.25 0.31
  • Prior to joining Haver Analytics in 2000, Mr. Moeller worked as the Economist at Chancellor Capital Management from 1985 to 1999. There, he developed comprehensive economic forecasts and interpreted economic data for equity and fixed income portfolio managers. Also at Chancellor, Mr. Moeller worked as an equity analyst and was responsible for researching and rating companies in the economically sensitive automobile and housing industries for investment in Chancellor’s equity portfolio.   Prior to joining Chancellor, Mr. Moeller was an Economist at Citibank from 1979 to 1984.   He also analyzed pricing behavior in the metals industry for the Council on Wage and Price Stability in Washington, D.C.   In 1999, Mr. Moeller received the award for most accurate forecast from the Forecasters' Club of New York. From 1990 to 1992 he was President of the New York Association for Business Economists.   Mr. Moeller earned an M.B.A. in Finance from Fordham University, where he graduated in 1987. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from George Washington University.

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