Global| Dec 19 2013Philadelphia Fed Business Conditions Index Disappoints
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
The Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank reported that its General Business Conditions Index for December rose slightly to 7.0 from 6.5 in November. The figure nevertheless remained near its lowest level since May and was weaker than [...]
The Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank reported that its General Business Conditions Index for December rose slightly to 7.0 from 6.5 in November. The figure nevertheless remained near its lowest level since May and was weaker than Consensus expectations for 10.2. For all of 2013, the Business Conditions Index increased to 6.4 from -0.2 in 2012. The seasonally adjusted figure constructed by Haver Analytics also was weak this month. It slipped to 53.0, the lowest level since August. It's comparable to the ISM Composite index. During the last ten years there has been a 71% correlation between the adjusted Philadelphia Fed index and real GDP growth.
Minimal improvement in the overall index reflected gains in new orders, shipments and employment. During the last ten year there has been a 79% correlation between the employment index and the m/m change in nonfarm payrolls. To the down-side, however, were delivery times (faster), unfilled orders and inventories.
Pricing power also deteriorated. The prices paid index fell back to 20.1, the lowest level since August. A lessened twenty five percent of respondents paid higher prices and an increased five percent paid less. During the last ten years there has been a 71% correlation between the prices paid index and three-month growth in the intermediate goods PPI.
The separate index of expected business conditions in six months deteriorated to 44.0, the lowest level since June. The new orders, shipments and employment series fell sharply. Inventories, unfilled orders and prices paid index also were off. Capital spending fell to a nine month low.
The survey panel consists of 150 manufacturing companies in Federal Reserve District III (consisting of southeastern PA, southern NJ and Delaware.) The diffusion indexes represent the percentage of respondents indicating an increase minus the percentage indicating a decrease in activity. The ISM adjusted figure, calculated by Haver Analytics, is the average of five diffusion indexes, new orders, production, employment, supplier deliveries and inventories with equal weights (20% each). Each diffusion index is the sum of the percent responding "higher" and one-half of the percent responding "same."
The figures from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve can be found in Haver's SURVEYS database. The Consensus expectations figure is available in AS1REPNA.
| Philadelphia Fed (%, SA) | Dec | Nov | Oct | Dec'12 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISM-Adjusted General Business Conditions | 53.0 | 53.2 | 56.9 | 49.8 | 50.0 | 47.7 | 51.9 |
| General Business Conditions | 7.0 | 6.5 | 19.8 | 4.6 | 6.4 | -0.2 | 7.7 |
| New Orders | 15.4 | 11.8 | 27.5 | 4.9 | 7.3 | -0.1 | 7.2 |
| Shipments | 13.3 | 5.6 | 20.4 | 14.7 | 7.1 | -1.4 | 9.9 |
| Unfilled Orders | -5.0 | -4.2 | 9.1 | -2.0 | -3.8 | -6.5 | -0.9 |
| Delivery Time | -9.0 | 3.2 | 6.1 | -6.0 | -4.0 | -9.1 | -0.4 |
| Inventories | 14.8 | 15.3 | 7.3 | -7.8 | -3.2 | -6.0 | -0.3 |
| Number of Employees | 2.2 | 1.1 | 15.4 | -0.2 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 11.0 |
| Prices Paid | 20.1 | 29.9 | 21.7 | 23.5 | 16.7 | 17.7 | 39.3 |
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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