Financial Wire

Daily Roundup of Key US Economic Data for April 16

-- March industrial production fell by 0.5% after a 0.7% gain in February, with manufacturing production down 0.1% overall but up 0.1% excluding a 3.7% drop in motor vehicle and parts production.

Utilities output fell by 2.3% on declines in both electricity and natural gas production, while mining production decreased by 1.2%.

The New York Federal Reserve's monthly business leaders index, a measure of services conditions, rose to minus 14.0 in April from minus 22.6 in March, still indicating contraction in the sector though at a slower rate. Other services data will be released over the coming weeks.

The Philadelphia Fed's manufacturing reading rose to 26.7 in April from 18.1 in March after the Empire State reading improved in the same month.

Initial jobless claims decreased by 11,000 to 207,000 in the week ended April 11, though the four-week average rose by 500 to 209,750, a second straight weekly increase.

Insured claims rose by 31,000 to 1.818 million in the week ended April 4, but the four-week moving average was the lowest since the week ended June 1, 2024.

Natural gas stocks rose by 59 billion cubic feet to 1.970 trillion cubic feet in the week ended April 10, up 6.8% from a year earlier and 5.8% higher than the seasonal average for the current week over the previous five years.

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