Economic Data for Thursday, Feb. 17, 2000
Weekly Jobless Claims = -20k to 283k
dol.gov
In the week ending Feb. 12, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 283,000, a decrease of 20,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 303,000. The 4-week moving average was 281,500, an increase of 4,750 from the previous week's revised average of 276,750.
PPI for Jan. = unchanged
Core rate = -0.2%
stats.bls.gov
The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods showed no change in
January, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This followed a 0.1-percent increase in December and a 0.2-percent advance in November. The index for finished goods other than foods and energy fell 0.2 percent in January, after edging up 0.1 percent in the previous month. At the earlier stages of process, prices received by producers of intermediate goods rose 0.4 percent, following a 0.2-percent increase in the prior month, and the crude goods index advanced 2.7 percent, after a 3.9-percent decline a month earlier.
(See table A.)
Philly Fed for Feb
phil.frb.org
Business Outlook Survey indicators suggest continuing growth for the region's manufacturing sector. Most survey measures increased over their readings in January, and six-month forecast indicators improved as well. A sizable share of respondents reported increases in input prices, although price pressures on final goods are less evident.
Nearly 41 percent of the manufacturers polled reported higher prices for inputs this month. The current prices paid index increased notably from 21.9 in January to 40.0 this month (see Chart). While input price pressures are in evidence, prices of final manufactured goods have not shown the same degree of increase. Only 13 percent of the firms reported increases in prices received for final manufactured goods; 4 percent reported decreases. The prices diffusion index for prices received rose less dramatically, from 5.2 in January to 8.8.
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