Global| Jun 20 2013Philadelphia Fed Business Conditions Index Recovers to a Two-Year High
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
Economic recovery is taking hold. The Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank reported that its General Business Conditions Index for June jumped to 12.5. This figure was the highest level since April 2011 and it followed an unrevised -5.2 [...]
Economic recovery is taking hold. The Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank reported that its General Business Conditions Index for June jumped to 12.5. This figure was the highest level since April 2011 and it followed an unrevised -5.2 in May. Another negative reading (-2.0) had been expected. Haver Analytics constructs a seasonally adjusted figure comparable to the ISM index. It also rose but more moderately to 49.6, its highest level since December. During the last ten years there has been a 71% correlation between the adjusted Philadelphia Fed index and real GDP growth.
Improvement in the Composite Index was driven by a surge in new orders to its highest level (16.6) since March 2011. The shipments series also recovered handsomely to its highest level this year (4.1). Lesser improvement was logged by unfilled orders 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 downside, the delivery times and inventories indexes slipped.
Pricing power recovered sharply m/m to its highest level since December. A sharply higher 28.2% of firms paid higher prices while a reduced 5.7% 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 advanced to 33.7, the highest level in nine months. The employment figure surged to its highest reading since April 2011. The readings for new orders, shipments, unfilled orders also improved significantly.
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 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) | Jun | May | Apr | Jun'12 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISM-Adjusted General Business Conditions | 49.6 | 45.8 | 46.1 | 44.7 | 47.7 | 51.9 | 50.7 |
| General Business Conditions | 12.5 | -5.2 | 1.3 | -12.8 | -0.2 | 7.7 | 12.1 |
| New Orders | 16.6 | -7.9 | -1.0 | -13.1 | -0.1 | 7.2 | 5.5 |
| Shipments | 4.1 | -8.5 | 9.1 | -13.8 | -1.4 | 9.9 | 8.3 |
| Unfilled Orders | -7.9 | -9.3 | -8.7 | -11.3 | -6.5 | -0.9 | -3.0 |
| Delivery Time | -9.3 | -6.0 | -13.8 | -14.0 | -9.1 | -0.4 | 0.9 |
| Inventories | -6.6 | 4.1 | -22.2 | -7.8 | -6.0 | -0.3 | -4.9 |
| Number of Employees | -5.4 | -8.7 | -6.8 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 11.0 | 4.7 |
| Prices Paid | 22.5 | 6.9 | 3.1 | 5.4 | 17.6 | 39.3 | 29.0 |
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.
More Economy in Brief
