Gary Siegel

Manufacturing activity in the central Atlantic region “expanded in March,” according to the monthly business activity survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, as the manufacturing index soared to positive 22 in March from negative 4 in February.

The region's non-manufacturing sector surged in March, as the general business conditions index grew to 13.9 from 3.6 in February, this month's Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Report on Business indicates.

The Federal Open Market Committee should raise rates “at one of the coming meetings” as a hike is justified by the economy’s momentum, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President and Chief Executive Officer Dennis Lockhart said Monday.

Existing home sales fell 7.1% to a seasonally adjusted 5.08 million-unit rate in February from an unrevised 0.4% increase to a 5.47 million pace the previous month, the National Association of Realtors announced Monday.

The Chicago Fed National Activity Index for February slumped to negative 0.29 from a revised positive 0.41 reading in January, while the three-month moving average (CFNAI-MA3) narrowed to negative 0.07 from a revised negative 0.12 in January, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago reported Monday.

The composite index of Leading Economic Indicators was up 0.1% in February following a 0.2% drop in January, the Conference Board reported Thursday.

The region's manufacturing sector expanded in March, as the general business conditions index climbed to positive 12.4 from negative 2.8 in February, this month's Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Report on Business indicates.

The Federal Open Market Committee decided not to raise interest rates, but the new “dot plot” cut its median expectation for fed funds rate to 0.90% in December from 1.40%.

Industrial production fell 0.5% in February, the Federal Reserve reported Wednesday.

The New York region's service sector activity "expanded," according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's March Business Leaders Survey, released Wednesday.

Builders’ confidence in the market for new single-family homes was unchanged as the National Association of Home Builders' housing market index remained at 58 in March.

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey showed "business activity steadied for New York manufacturers," the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported Tuesday, as the general business conditions index improved to positive 0.62 in March from negative 16.64 in February.

Consumers increased their expectations for inflation, according to the February Survey of Consumer Expectations, released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Monday.

The federal government ran a $192.6 billion deficit in February the Treasury Department reported Thursday.

Small business optimism dropped in February as measured by the National Federation of Independent Business' monthly Small Business Optimism index, which fell to 92.9 from 93.9 in January.

The Federal Reserve is obliged to prevent future financial crises and even when monetary policy is zero lower bound the Fed is able to promote expansion, Federal Reserve Board Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer said Monday.

The Fed should be patient while the future outlook is cloudy, Federal Reserve Board Governor Lael Brainard said Monday.

The Conference Board’s Employment Trends Index (ETI) declined to 129.09 in February from an upwardly revised 129.15 in January, and is up 2.1% from a year ago, the group announced Monday.

U.S. inflationary pressures were up in February, as the U.S. future inflation gauge gained to 105.1 from an upwardly revised 103.4 reading in January, according to data released Friday morning by the Economic Cycle Research Institute.

New York City business activity "expanded at the slowest pace in five months," in February, as the current business conditions index fell to 53.6, from 54.6 in January, the Institute for Supply Management-New York's Report on Business index, released Wednesday, indicated.