May 2007

Prices for petroleum and primary metal products caused prices for manufactured goods to surge in March. Raw material prices were pushed up mainly by prices for non-ferrous metals.

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From February to March, prices charged by manufacturers, as measured by the Industrial Product Price Index (IPPI), registered a fifth consecutive monthly increase. The&nbsp ; 1.3% rise in the index mainly reflected the strength of prices for petroleum and coal products and primary metal products.
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On a 12-month basis, the IPPI rose by&nbsp ; 4.8%, the strongest advance since October&nbsp ; 2004. The upward pressure came largely from higher prices for primary metal products and petroleum and coal products. The upward movement was tempered by a drop in prices for lumber and ...

Real gross domestic product -the output of goods and services produced by labor and property in the U.S. -increased at an annual rate of 1.3% in the first quarter of 2007, according to advance estimates released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the fourth quarter, real GDP increased 2.5%.
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The first-quarter preliminary" estimates, based on more comprehensive data, will be released May 31, 2007.
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The increase in real GDP in the first quarter primarily reflected positive contributions from personal consumption expenditures (PCE) and state and local government spending.
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The deceleration in real GDP growth in the first quarter primarily reflected a downturn in exports, an upturn in imports, a deceleration in PCE for nondurable goods, and a ...

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in April for the third consecutive month, while the overall economy grew for the 66th consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business.
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Manufacturing activity increased in April; the PMI reflects accelerating growth for the month. New Orders and Production improved significantly as did Employment.
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Manufacturers are now in their ninth month of inventory reduction, so supply chains are generally in balance. On the negative side, prices continue to rise at a rapid rate with metals and energy being the areas of greatest concern to buyers.
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The 11 industries reporting growth in April & mdash; listed in order & mdash; are: Wood ...