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Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: December 21, 2012, Eric Thompson, William Walstad, Adam George

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) dropped modestly, declining by 0.18%, during November 2012. The decline in the LEI-N, which predicts economic growth in the state six months in the future, followed four months of increase. The modest decline in the LEI-N is not sufficient to reverse the growth trend seen in the previous four months. The Nebraska economy is expected to expand moderately in December 2012 and the first half of 2013. Looking at individual components of the LEI-N, only one component, the number of single-family building permits, increased in November. This permit growth has been a bright …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: November 16, 2012, Eric Thompson, William Walstad, Adam George

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) dropped slightly, declining by 0.06%, during October 2012. The decline in the LEI-N, which predicts economic growth in the state six months in the future, followed three months of increase. The slight decline in the LEI-N is not sufficient to reverse the trend seen in the previous three months, and the Nebraska economy is expected to expand slowly in November and December followed by moderate growth in the first half of 2013. Looking at individual components of the LEI-N, there was a decline in three of the six components. Single-family building permits declined …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: October 19, 2012, Eric Thompson, William Walstad, Adam George

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) grew by just 0.09% during September 2012. The increase in the LEI-N, which predicts economic growth in the state six months in the future, was quite weak, but did follow two months of solid increase in July and August. The continued expansion of the LEI-N, however slight, confirms that the Nebraska economy will grow moderately at the end of 2012 and early 2013. A primary reason for the slight improvement in the LEI-N was a solid increase in single-family building permits, suggesting continued improvement in the Nebraska housing market. A declining U.S. dollar …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: September 21, 2012, Eric Thompson, William Walstad, Adam George

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) grew by 1.19% during August 2012. The increase in the LEI-N, which predicts economic growth in the state six months in the future, is the second monthly increase in a row. The two consecutive months of increase suggest that the Nebraska economy will grow moderately at the end of 2012 and early 2013. A primary reason for the improvement in the LEI-N was a solid increase in seasonally adjusted airline passenger counts during August. This suggests that both business travelers and household leisure travelers have confidence in the future. Along the same lines, …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: August 17, 2012, Eric Thompson, William Walstad, Adam George

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) grew by 1.24% during July 2012. The increase in the LEI-N, which predicts economic growth in the state six months in the future, follows two months of decline. Improvement in the indicator during July confirms that the Nebraska economy will continue to grow in late 2012 and early 2013, though growth will be slow. A primary reason for the improvement in the LEI-N was a sharp drop in initial unemployment claims during July, which suggests stability in the Nebraska labor market. Building permits for single-family homes also rose during July, an improving signal …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: July 20, 2012, Eric Thompson, William Walstad, Adam George

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) declined by 1.11% during June 2012. The decline in the LEI-N, which predicts economic growth in the state six months in the future, is the second in a row, signaling weakness in the Nebraska economy during the fall and winter of 2012. In particular, while the Nebraska economy is expected to grow this summer, growth will slow significantly beginning in the fall. A primary reason for the decline in the LEI-N was a rapid increase in the value of the U.S. dollar during June. The rising U.S. dollar will limit export activity by …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: June 15, 2012, Eric Thompson, William Walstad, Adam George

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) declined at a moderate 0.52% rate during May 2012. The decline in the LEI-N, which predicts economic growth in the state six months in the future, is the second in three months, signaling weakness in the Nebraska economy during the fall of 2012. In particular, while the Nebraska economy is expected to grow solidly this summer, growth will slow significantly in the fall. The primary reason for the decline in the LEI-N was a rapid increase in the value of the U.S. dollar during May. The rising U.S. dollar will limit export activity …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: May 18, 2012, Eric Thompson, William Walstad, Adam George

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI‐N) increased at a moderate 0.44% rate during April 2012. The increase in the LEI‐N, which predicts economic growth in the state six months in the future, signals that the Nebraska economy will grow during the fall of 2012. However, recent evidence signals modest growth. The LEI‐N grew by 0.44% in April but declined during March. Further, there was mixed evidence of growth among the underlying components of the leading indicator. Rising manufacturing hours, positive business expectations, and declining initial unemployment claims all point to future growth. But, other components declined. Building permits and …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: April 20, 2012, Eric Thompson, William Walstad, Adam George

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) fell for the first time in four months in March 2012, posting a 0.32% decline. The decline in the LEI-N, which predicts economic growth in the state six months in the future, suggests that the Nebraska economy will grow slowly during the fall of 2012. A rising U.S. dollar, which would reduce exports, was one primary reason for the decline in the LEI-N. The other primary factor was a sharp drop in airline passengers. A modest increase in building permits and growth in manufacturing hours each made a positive contribution to the LEI-N …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: March 16, 2012, Eric Thompson, William Walstad, Eric Ransom, Adam George

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI‐N) rose for the third consecutive month in February 2012, posting a moderate 0.93% increase. The increase in the LEI‐N, which predicts economic growth in the state six months in the future, suggests that the Nebraska economy will grow at a moderate pace in mid‐2012. A declining U.S. dollar made the largest contribution to growth in the LEI‐N. Positive business expectations also contributed to the increase. Manufacturing hours, building permits, and the number of airline passengers were essentially unchanged. Rising initial unemployment claims detracted from growth in the leading indicator. Looking at earlier months, …

Technical Report: Coincident And Leading Economic Indicators-Nebraska, Eric Thompson, William Walstad

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Introduction

State, Federal, and private entities produce a myriad of data about the national and state economy. Much of this data, however, is released with a substantial lag of several months up to several years. Much of the data also only reports on segments of the economy, rather than providing an overall measure of economic progress. Yet, there is a clear need for comprehensive and current measures of the economy, and current updates about the economic outlook. This information is provided at the national level by the Conference Board, which produces a leading and coincident indicator for the national economy. …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: Febriary 17, 2012, Eric Thompson, William Walstad, Eric Ransom, Adam George

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) grew for the second consecutive month in January 2012, posting a moderate 0.51% increase. The increase in the LEI-N, which predicts state economic growth 6 months in the future, suggests that the Nebraska economy will grow at a moderate pace in mid-2012. A declining U.S. dollar, a rise in the number of airline passengers, and improving business expectations all contributed to the increase in the LEI-N in January 2012. Manufacturing hours and building permits were essentially unchanged and rising initial unemployment claims detracted from growth in the leading indicator. Looking at earlier months, …