Business Week Index

Business Week Index

BusinessWeek Index

PRODUCTION INDEXThe production index inched up in the week ended Nov. 15, as did the unaveragedindex which was up 0.2% to 127.1, from 126.9 in the previous week. Afterseasonal adjustment, electric output rose 3%, with weekly increases ofavailable energy up 5.4% in New England and 4.7% in the Mid-Atlantic region.Lumber production also posted a gain while trucks and rail-freight wereunchanged. Production of cars, oil, and coal were down, as was raw steel, whoserate of capability utilization fell to 91%.PRODUCTION INDICATORS

LATEST WEEK YEARLY

WEEK AGO % CHG

STEEL (11/22) thous. of net tons 2,180 2,160 # 8.9

AUTOS (11/22) units 130,379 130,970 r# -0.1

TRUCKS (11/22) units 141,370 143,054 r# 9.6

ELECTRIC POWER (11/22)

millions of kilowatt-hrs. NA 62,582 # NA

CRUDE-OIL REFINING (11/22)

thous. of bbl./day NA 14,418 # NA

COAL (11/15) thous. of net tons 20,792 # 20,999 1.2

LUMBER (11/15) millions of ft. 475.5 # 455.8 -1.7

RAIL FREIGHT (11/15)

billions of ton-miles 27.1 # 27.2 2.7

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

Electric Institute, American Petroleum Institute, Energy Dept., WWPA*, SFPA**,

Association of American Railroads

LEADING INDICATORS

LATEST WEEK YEARLY

WEEK AGO % CHG

STOCK PRICES (11/21) S&P 500 963.09 928.35 28.6

CORPORATE BOND YIELD, Aaa (11/21) 6.83 % 6.89 % -3.1

INDUSTRIAL MATERIALS PRICES (11/21) 103.2 103.3 -3.0

BUSINESS FAILURES (11/14) NA NA NA

REAL ESTATE LOANS (11/12) billions NA NA NA

MONEY SUPPLY, M2 (11/10) billions $3,985.4 $3,991.1 r 5.0

INITIAL CLAIMS, UNEMPLOYMENT (11/15) thous. 333 313 -3.8

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

Federal Reserve, Labor Dept.

PRICES

LATEST WEEK YEARLY

WEEK AGO % CHG

GOLD (11/25) $/troy oz. 300.700 305.950 -19.5

STEEL SCRAP (11/24) #1 heavy, $/ton 143.50 143.50 23.2

COPPER (11/21) cents/lb. 89.2 92.4 -18.2

ALUMINUM (11/21) cents/lb. 79.5 79.0 9.8

COTTON (11/21) strict

low middling 1-1/16 in., cents/lb. 68.51 68.69 -3.1

OIL (11/24) $/bbl. 19.06 19.71 -26.4

CRB FOODSTUFFS (11/24) 1967=100 248.73 251.52 7.3

CRB RAW INDUSTRIALS (11/24) 1967=100 323.99 327.42 -3.0

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 (11/25) 127.60 127.37 112.55

GERMAN MARK (11/25) 1.74 1.73 1.53

BRITISH POUND (11/25) 1.68 1.69 1.67

FRENCH FRANC (11/25) 5.84 5.80 5.17

ITALIAN LIRA (11/25) 1710.5 1696.8 1514.5

CANADIAN DOLLAR (11/25) 1.42 1.42 1.34

MEXICAN PESO (11/25)*** 8.234 8.280 7.876

TRADE-WEIGHTED DOLLAR INDEX (11/25) 107.6 107.2 97.7

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 (11/24) 5.51 % 5.45 % 5.38 %

COMMERCIAL PAPER (11/24) 3-month 5.67 5.66 5.41

CERTIFICATES OF DEPOSIT (11/25) 3-month 5.78 5.77 5.38

FIXED MORTGAGE (11/21) 30-year 7.38 7.37 7.76

ADJUSTABLE MORTGAGE (11/21) one-year 5.77 5.68 5.75

PRIME (11/21) 8.50 8.50 8.25

Sources: Federal Reserve, HSH Associates, Bloomberg Financial Markets

BW production index copyright 1997 Bloomberg L.P.

#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. *=Western Wood Products Assn. **=Southern Forest

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

meaningful

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