The Chicago
Federal Reserve announced on Monday the Chicago Fed national activity index
(CFNAI), a weighted average of 85 different economic indicators, came in at
-0.45 in April, down from a revised +0.05 in March (originally -0.15), pointing
to a decrease in economic growth.
Economists had
forecast the index to come in at -0.33 in April.
At the same
time, the index’s three-month moving average declined -0.22 in April from -0.16
in March.
According to
the report, three of the four broad categories of indicators that make up the
index dropped from March, and two of the four categories made negative
contributions to the index in April.
The
contribution from production-related indicators to the CFNAI moved down to -0.44
in April from -0.04 in March. The contribution of the personal consumption and
housing category to the CFNAI decreased to -0.05 in April from a neutral value in
March. Meanwhile, the sales, orders, and inventories category made a
contribution of +0.01 to the CFNAI in April, down from +0.06 in March. Employment-related
indicators contributed +0.04 to the CFNAI in April, up slightly from +0.03 in
March.