Business Week Index

BusinessWeek Index

The production index was flat for the week ended June 13. The unaveraged indexfell 1%, to 133.6, from 134.9. Part of this dip can be blamed on the strike atGeneral Motors Corp. But other components besides auto and truck productionwere down as well. Electricity was off by 3.6%, with reduced output in the NewEngland and Mid-Atlantic regions. Steel production was also down, with therate of utilization the lowest since last August. Coal and rail-freighttraffic also fell. Only lumber and oil posted gains.BW production index copyright 1998 Bloomberg L.P.PRODUCTION INDICATORS

LATEST WEEK YEARLY

WEEK AGO % CHG

STEEL (6/20) thous. of net tons 2,067 2,190# -3.5

AUTOS (6/20) units 98,384 113,800r# -26.3

TRUCKS (6/20) units 101,566 125,585r# -22.0

ELECTRIC POWER (6/20) millions 70,713 64,274# 5.5

of kilowatt-hrs.

CRUDE-OIL REFINING (6/20) thous. 15,443 15,507# 2.6

of bbl./day

COAL (6/13) thous. of net tons 21,279# 21,581 1.9

LUMBER (6/13) millions of ft. 494.9# 494.9 -4.1

RAIL FREIGHT (6/13) billions of 27.5# 27.8 4.6

ton-miles

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 (6/19) S&P 500 1100.65 1098.84 22.5

CORPORATE BOND YIELD, Aaa (6/19) 6.49% 6.52% -11.5

MONEY SUPPLY, M2 (6/8) billions $4,182.9 $4,187.7r 7.2

INITIAL CLAIMS, UNEMPLOYMENT (6/13) 327 314r -5.2

thous.

MORTGAGE APPLICATIONS, PURCHASE (6/19) 274.6 262.1 33.0

MORTGAGE APPLICATIONS, REFINANCE 1,406.2 1,209.6 254.7

(6/19)

Sources: Standard & Poor's, Moody's, Federal Reserve, Labor Dept., Mortgage

Bankers Assn. (Index: March 16, 1990=100)

PRICES

LATEST WEEK YEARLY

WEEK AGO % CHG

GOLD (6/24) $/troy oz. 293.850 290.000 -13.2

STEEL SCRAP (6/23) #1 heavy, $/ton 135.50 134.50 -2.2

COPPER (6/19) cents/lb. 77.7 80.0 -37.4

ALUMINUM (6/19) cents/lb. 63.5 64.0 -16.0

COTTON (6/20) strict low middling 73.04 72.11 2.7

1-1/16 in., cents/lb.

OIL (6/23) $/bbl. 14.16 11.94 -23.3

CRB FOODSTUFFS (6/23) 1967=100 240.00 240.14 -0.8

CRB RAW INDUSTRIALS (6/23) 1967=100 296.84 297.83 -11.5

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

market, NYMEX, Commodity Research Bureau

INTEREST RATES

LATEST WEEK YEAR

WEEK AGO AGO

FEDERAL FUNDS (6/23) 5.36% 5.55% 5.39%

COMMERCIAL PAPER (6/23) 3-month 5.50 5.50 5.63

CERTIFICATES OF DEPOSIT (6/24) 3-month 5.60 5.60 5.66

FIXED MORTGAGE (6/19) 30-year 7.08 7.11 7.81

ADJUSTABLE MORTGAGE (6/19) one-year 5.83 5.79 5.87

PRIME (6/19) 8.50 8.50 8.50

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

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

Association of American Railroads

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

LATEST WEEK YEAR

WEEK AGO AGO

JAPANESE YEN (6/24) 141.13 137.55 114.03

GERMAN MARK (6/24) 1.80 1.79 1.73

BRITISH POUND (6/24) 1.67 1.67 1.66

FRENCH FRANC (6/24) 6.04 5.99 5.82

ITALIAN LIRA (6/24) 1774.2 1759.0 1683.5

CANADIAN DOLLAR (6/24) 1.47 1.46 1.39

MEXICAN PESO (6/24)3 8.932 8.875 7.940

TRADE-WEIGHTED DOLLAR INDEX (6/24) 113.5 112.9 103.4

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.

#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