Key Economic Indicators
Personal income increased $58.6 billion, or 0.4 percent, and disposable personal income (DPI) increased $54.2 billion, or 0.4 percent, in February, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $11.8 billion, or 0.1 percent. In January, personal income increased $61.8 billion, or 0.4 percent, DPI increased $61.5 billion, or 0.5 percent, and PCE decreased $28.5 billion, or 0.2 percent, based on revised estimates.
Real gross domestic product -- the value of the production of goods and services in the United States, adjusted for price changes -- increased at an annual rate of 2.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014, according to the "third" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the third quarter, real GDP increased 5.0 percent.
New orders for manufactured durable goods in February decreased $3.2 billion or 1.4 percent to $231.3 billion.
February 2015: -1.4° % change
January 2015 (r): +2.0° % change
Sales of new single-family houses in February 2015 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 539,000. This is 7.8 percent (+/- 15.2%)* above the revised January 2015 estimate of 500,000.
February 2015: +7.8* % change
January 2015 (r): +4.4* % change
Quarterly Financial Report - Manufacturing, Mining, Wholesale Trade, and Selected Service Industries
Manufacturing corporations' seasonally adjusted after-tax profits were $154.1 billion for the fourth quarter of 2014, down $10.7 (+/- 1.6) billion from third quarter of 2014.
4th Qtr 2014: -10.7 $ billion
3rd Qtr 2014 (r): +12.0 $ billion
After-tax profits for retail corporations with assets of $50 million and over were $23.8 billion for the fourth quarter 2014 (the 3 months ending January 31, 2015), up $7.4 (+/- 0.2) billion from third quarter 2014 (the 3 months ending October 31, 2014).
4th Qtr 2014: +7.4 $ billion
3rd Qtr 2014 (r): -4.3 $ billion
Privately-owned housing starts in February 2015 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 897,000. This is 17.0 percent (+/- 9.5%) below the revised January 2015 estimate of 1,081,000.
February 2015: -17.0 % change
January 2015 (r): 0.0* % change
U.S. total business end-of-month inventories for January 2015 were $1,761.7 billion, virtually unchanged (+/- 0.1%)* from last month. U.S. total business sales were $1,302.5 billion, down 2.0 percent (+/-0.2%) from last month.
January 2015: 0.0* % change in Inventories
December 2014 (r): 0.0* % change in Inventories
U.S. retail and food services sales for February were $437.0 billion, a decrease of 0.6 percent (+/-0.5%) from the previous month.
February 2015: -0.6 % change
January 2015 (r): -0.8 % change
The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that the estimate of U.S. information sector revenue for the fourth calendar quarter of 2014, adjusted for seasonal variation but not for price changes, was $334.0 billion, an increase of 1.4 percent (+/- 0.6%) from the third quarter of 2014.
4th Qtr 2014: +1.4 % change
3rd Qtr 2014 (r): +0.8* % change
January 2015 sales of merchant wholesalers were $433.7 billion, down 3.1 percent (+/- 0.5%) from last month. End-of-month inventories were $548.7 billion, up 0.3 percent (+/- 0.4%)* from last month.
January 2015: +0.3* % change in Inventories
December 2014 (r): +0.0* % change in Inventories
The Nation's international trade balance in goods and services increased to -$41.8 billion in January from -$45.6 billion in December (revised), as imports decreased more than exports.
January 2015: -41.8° $ billion
December 2014 (r): -45.6° $ billion
New orders for manufactured goods in January decreased $0.9 billion or 0.2 percent to $470.0 billion.
January 2015: -0.2° % change
December 2014 (r): -3.5° % change
Total construction activity for January 2015 ($971.4 billion) was 1.1 percent (+/-1.2%)* below the revised December 2014 ($982.0 billion).
January 2015: -1.1* % change
December 2014 (r): +0.8* % change
The rental vacancy rate in the fourth quarter 2014 was 7.0 percent, down 1.2 (+/- 0.4) percentage points from the fourth quarter 2013 rate of 8.2 percent. The rental vacancy rates in the Northeast, Midwest, South and West were lower than the corresponding fourth quarter 2013 rates.
4th Qtr 2014: +7.0 percent
4th Qtr 2013: +8.2 percent
The homeownership rate in the fourth quarter 2014 was 64.0 percent, down 1.2 (+/- 0.4) percentage points from the fourth quarter 2013 rate of 65.2 percent. The homeownership rates in the Northeast, Midwest and South were lower than the rates in the fourth quarter 2013, while the rate in the West was not statistically different from the rate a year ago.
4th Qtr 2014: +64.0 percent
4th Qtr 2013: +65.2 percent