Global| May 16 2005Empire State Index Negative
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
The Empire State Index of General Business Conditions in New York's manufacturing industries went negative in May for the first month since April 2003. The decline to -11.11 followed a year of weakening versus the peak in February [...]
The Empire State Index of General Business Conditions in New York's manufacturing industries went negative in May for the first month since April 2003. The decline to -11.11 followed a year of weakening versus the peak in February 2004 and April's level was revised down.
The new orders component dropped further into negative territory but the shipments index was slightly positive. The employment index fell to its lowest since September 2003 and the barely positive reading indicated little if any job growth. Like the Philadelphia Fed Index of General Business Conditions, the Empire State Business Conditions Index reflects answers to an independent survey question; it is not a weighted combination of the components.
The prices paid index slipped further to the lowest level since last February.
Expectations for business conditions in six months fell further and indicated the most pessimism since 2001. Expectations for future capital spending fell hard for the third month in the last five and the average level this year is below 2004.
The Empire State Manufacturing Survey is a monthly survey of manufacturers in New York State conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Participants from across the state in a variety of industries respond to a questionnaire and report the change in a variety of indicators from the previous month. Respondents also state the likely direction of these same indicators six months ahead. April 2002 is the first report, although survey data date back to July 2001.
For more on the Empire State Manufacturing Survey, including methodologies and the latest report, click here.
| Empire State Manufacturing Survey | May | April | May '04 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business Conditions (diffusion index) | -11.11 | 2.03 | 31.01 | 28.76 | 16.17 | 7.19 |
Tom Moeller
AuthorMore in Author Profile »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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