Business Week Index

BusinessWeek Index

The production index has been revised back to January, 1992, to reflect thebenchmark revisions to the Federal Reserve's index of industrial production,new component weights, and new seasonal factors. Historical data is availablefrom BUSINESS WEEK. In the week ended Mar. 15, the index increased. Beforecalculation of the four-week moving average, the index rose to 122.7, from122.1, on gains in the seasonally adjusted output of trucks and rail-freighttraffic.BW production index copyright 1997 Bloomberg L.P.PRODUCTION INDICATORS

LATEST WEEK YEARLY

WEEK AGO % CHG

STEEL (3/22) thous. of net tons 2,120 2,102 # 1.8

AUTOS (3/22) units 127,423 126,686 r# 60.1

TRUCKS (3/22) units 130,141 139,360 r# 43.6

ELECTRIC POWER (3/22) millions of kilo-

watt-hrs. 59,339 59,387 # 2.5

CRUDE-OIL REFINING (3/22) thous. of

bbl./day 14,079 13,715 # 1.8

COAL (3/15) thous. of net tons 20,800 # 20,443 -2.4

LUMBER (3/15) millions of ft. 509.0 # 510.6 13.8

RAIL FREIGHT (3/15) billions of ton-miles 27.4 # 26.9 1.9

Sources: American Iron & Steel Institute, Ward's Automotive Reports, Edison

Electric Institute, American Petroleum Institute, Energy Dept., WWPA1, SFPA2,

Association of American Railroads

LEADING INDICATORS

LATEST WEEK YEARLY

WEEK AGO % CHG

STOCK PRICES (3/21) S&P 500 784.10 793.17 20.5

CORPORATE BOND YIELD, Aaa (3/21) 7.61% 7.42% 2.7

INDUSTRIAL MATERIALS PRICES (3/21) 107.6 108.3 -2.1

BUSINESS FAILURES (3/14) NA NA NA

REAL ESTATE LOANS (3/12) billions NA NA NA

MONEY SUPPLY, M2 (3/10) billions $3,875.0 $3,870.6r 4.5

INITIAL CLAIMS, UNEMPLOYMENT (3/15) thous. 312 309 -18.3

Sources: Standard & Poor's, Moody's, Journal of Commerce (index: 1990=100), Dun

& Bradstreet (failures of large companies), Federal Reserve, Labor Dept.

PRICES

LATEST WEEK YEARLY

WEEK AGO % CHG

GOLD (3/26) $/troy oz. 346.050 349.100 -13.6

STEEL SCRAP (3/21) #1 heavy, $/ton 136.50 136.50 -1.8

COPPER (3/21) cents/lb. 117.7 117.0 -2.7

ALUMINUM (3/21) cents/lb. 80.0 80.5 4.6

COTTON (3/22) strict low middling 1-1/16 in.,

cents/lb. 70.63 72.74 -14.1

OIL (3/25) $/bbl. 20.77 21.77 -6.7

CRB FOODSTUFFS (3/25) 1967=100 245.28 243.36 4.1

CRB RAW INDUSTRIALS (3/25) 1967=100 339.19 339.92 2.3

Sources: London Wednesday final setting, Chicago market, Metals Week, Memphis

market, NYMEX, Commodity Research Bureau

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

LATEST WEEK YEAR

WEEK AGO AGO

JAPANESE YEN (3/26) 124.23 122.72 106.61

GERMAN MARK (3/26) 1.69 1.68 1.49

BRITISH POUND (3/26) 1.63 1.60 1.52

FRENCH FRANC (3/26) 5.70 5.67 5.07

ITALIAN LIRA (3/26) 1685.5 1687.8 1579.5

CANADIAN DOLLAR (3/26) 1.37 1.38 1.36

MEXICAN PESO (3/26)3 7.893 7.925 7.540

TRADE-WEIGHTED DOLLAR INDEX (3/26) 105.1 104.8 99.6

Sources: Major New York banks. Currencies expressed in units per U.S. dollar,

except for British pound in dollars. Trade-weighted dollar via J.P. Morgan.

INTEREST RATES

LATEST WEEK YEAR

WEEK AGO AGO

FEDERAL FUNDS (3/25) 5.57% 5.42% 5.23%

COMMERCIAL PAPER (3/26) 3-month 5.70 5.53 5.37

CERTIFICATES OF DEPOSIT (3/26) 3-month 5.66 5.52 5.34

FIXED MORTGAGE (3/21) 30-year 8.09 7.98 8.05

ADJUSTABLE MORTGAGE (3/21) one-year 5.85 5.86 5.77

PRIME (3/21) 8.25-8.50 8.25 8.25

Sources: Federal Reserve, HSH Associates, Bloomberg Financial Markets

#Raw data in the production indicators are seasonally adjusted in computing the

BW index (chart); other components (estimated and not listed) include machinery

and defense equipment. 1=Western Wood Products Assn. 2=Southern Forest

Products Assn. 3=Free market value NA=Not available r=revised NM=Not

meaningful

Return to top