News & Advisories

Top News

Firms See Increased Business Activity

November 19, 2009 — Activity in the region's manufacturing sector is picking up, according to firms polled for November's Business Outlook Survey. The general activity index increased to 16.7 from 11.5 in October. In the special questions, firms were asked about capacity utilization rates. See the press release.

Business Conditions Index Updated

November 19, 2009 — The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia's Real-Time Data Research Center has updated the business conditions index with information on initial jobless claims for the week ending 11/14/2009.

Speech: Food or Commodity Price Shocks and Inflation: A Central Banker's Perspective

November 19, 2009 — President Charles I. Plosser gives a central banker's perspective on the challenges that volatility in food prices or other relative prices poses for monetary policy. He will discuss three approaches central bankers can take to protect their credibility to control inflation in the face of these price shocks. Read the speech.

Business Conditions Index Updated

November 17, 2009 — The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia's Real-Time Data Research Center has updated the business conditions index with information on industrial production for October.

Forecasters See Growth in 2010

November 16, 2009 — The 41 participants in the fourth-quarter Survey of Professional Forecasters, released today, project growth in the U.S. economy over the next five quarters. However, they see a weaker labor market than they did three months ago. Read the news release and get projections for several indicators through 2012. Listen to a podcast interview with our analyst. For an individual interview with our analyst, contact Katherine Dibling, senior media representative, at 215-574-4119.

Business Conditions Index Updated

November 12, 2009 — The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia's Real-Time Data Research Center has updated the business conditions index with information on initial jobless claims for the week ending 11/7/2009.

Business Conditions Index Updated

November 6, 2009 — The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia's Real-Time Data Research Center has updated the business conditions index with information on payroll employment for October.

Business Conditions Index Updated

November 5, 2009 — The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia's Real-Time Data Research Center has updated the business conditions index with information on initial jobless claims for the week ending 10/31/2009.

Advisories

Firms Asked About Capacity Utilization Rates

The Business Outlook Survey will be released at 10 a.m., Thursday, November 19, 2009. In this month's special questions, the manufacturers were asked about capacity utilization rates. For an interview with our analyst, contact Katherine Dibling at 215-574-4119.

Schedule of Economic Releases

Get the schedule for the Bank's economic releases. It includes dates for the release of the Business Conditions Index, the most recent addition to our roster of economic indicators.

FYI

Kansas City: Financial Stress Index

The Kansas City Financial Stress Index was 0.46 in October, down from 0.51 in September. The modest change followed a series of more substantial declines in the index since its peak in October 2008. For more information about the Kansas City Financial Stress Index, see the report and "Financial Stress: What Is It, How Can It Be Measured, and Why Does It Matter?" (681 KB, 46 pages)

Dallas Fed: Trimmed Mean PCE

The trimmed mean personal consumption expenditures (PCE) inflation rate for September, released by the Dallas Federal Reserve, was an annualized 0.6 percent. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the overall PCE inflation rate for September was 1.4 percent, annualized, while the inflation rate for PCE excluding food and energy was 1.5 percent.

Chicago Fed National Activity Index

The Chicago Fed National Activity Index was -0.81 in September, down from -0.65 in August.