US Trade Balance — Indicator 1.41
The US Trade Balance (1.41) measures the monthly difference between the value of exports and imports of goods and services. In simple terms: exports minus imports. A negative number means a trade deficit (the US imports more than it exports), a positive number would be a surplus. It sits in the external sector of the […]
US Goods Trade Balance — Indicator 1.42
The US Goods Trade Balance measures the monthly difference between the value of physical goods the United States exports and the goods it imports. It covers merchandise only—cars, machinery, consumer electronics, industrial equipment, agricultural products, oil, etc.—and explicitly excludes services such as travel, royalties, and financial services (those are captured under the broader Trade Balance, […]
US Current Account — Indicator 1.43
The US current account is the broadest snapshot of the country’s external balance sheet in flow terms. It measures the net balance of trade in goods and services, primary income (interest, dividends, profits, wages), and secondary income (transfers, remittances, foreign aid) between US residents and the rest of the world over a quarter. In macro […]
US Federal Budget Balance — Indicator 1.44
The US Federal Budget Balance tracks the monthly gap between federal government receipts (taxes, fees, other income) and outlays (spending, interest payments, transfers). A negative number is a deficit (spending > revenue); a positive number is a surplus. It sits on the fiscal side of the macro picture, capturing how aggressively the government is supporting […]
US TIC Long-Term Purchases — Indicator 1.45
TIC Long-Term Purchases measure net foreign buying of long-term US securities—mainly Treasuries, agency bonds, corporate bonds, and US equities—after netting out US residents’ purchases of long-term foreign securities. It’s a capital account flow metric, not a trade or GDP series. The data are monthly and laggy, but they give a direct read on whether the […]
US ISM Manufacturing Prices — Indicator 1.46
ISM Manufacturing Prices is the “prices paid” sub-index of the ISM Manufacturing PMI (1.13). It measures how much prices for inputs (raw materials, components, energy, freight, etc.) paid by US manufacturing firms are rising or falling compared with the previous month. Purchasing managers report whether prices are higher, the same, or lower; ISM then converts […]
US ISM Services Prices — Indicator 1.47
ISM Services Prices is the “prices paid” sub-index of the ISM Services PMI survey for the US services sector. It asks purchasing managers whether the prices they pay to suppliers are rising, unchanged, or falling, and converts those responses into a diffusion index centered around 50. Readings above 50 indicate that more firms are seeing […]
US Empire State Manufacturing Index — Indicator 1.48
The Empire State Manufacturing Index is a monthly business survey run by the New York Fed, capturing current conditions in the manufacturing sector of the New York state region. It’s a diffusion index: firms report whether activity (orders, shipments, employment, prices, etc.) is better, worse, or unchanged versus the previous month, and the responses are […]
US Philly Fed Manufacturing Index — Indicator 1.49
The Philly Fed Manufacturing Index is a monthly survey of manufacturing firms in the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s district (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware). It’s a diffusion index: firms say whether conditions are better, worse, or unchanged; the balance is turned into a number. Above 0 suggests expansion, below 0 contraction, and the magnitude tells […]
US NFIB Small Business Index — Indicator 1.50
The NFIB Small Business Index is a monthly survey-based gauge of sentiment among US small business owners, compiled by the National Federation of Independent Business. It aggregates answers on hiring plans, capital expenditure intentions, sales expectations, pricing power, compensation, inventories, and credit conditions into a single diffusion-style index (values typically somewhere between 80–110 in “normal” […]