Gary Siegel

Private-sector employment increased by 257,000 in December, on a seasonally adjusted basis, ADP reported Wednesday.

New York City business activity "expanded at a solid rate," in December, as the current business conditions index grew to 62.0, from 60.7 in November, the Institute for Supply Management-New York's Report on Business index, released Tuesday, indicated.

The overall economy grew for the seventy-ninth straight time, while the manufacturing sector contracted for the second month in a row, the Institute for Supply Management reported Monday.

Construction spending decreased 0.4% in November, the Commerce Department said Monday, and is 10.5% above the November 2014 level.

The Chicago Purchasing Managers' Business Barometer declined to a six and a half year low of 42.9 in December from 48.7 in November, the National Association of Purchasing Management-Chicago said Thursday.

The seasonally adjusted Milwaukee Report on Business gained to 48.5 in December from 45.3 in November, the Institute for Supply Management-Milwaukee reported Thursday

Pending home sales decreased 0.9% to an index reading of 106.9 in November, after a revised 0.4% decrease to 107.9 in October, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Association of Realtors.

The Midwest Economy Index declined to negative 0.17 in November from an unrevised negative 0.14 in October, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago said Wednesday.

Texas service sector activity "increased again in December," according to business executives responding to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas' Texas Service Sector Outlook Survey, as the revenue index climbed to 15.2 from 10.3.

The consumer confidence index grew to 96.5 in December from a revised 92.6 last month, The Conference Board reported Tuesday.

The November seasonally adjusted advance goods trade deficit was $60.5 billion, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.

Texas factory activity, as measured by the production index, "increased for a third month in a row in December," according to the monthly business activity survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, released Monday.

The University of Michigan's final December consumer sentiment index reading was 92.6, compared to the preliminary December 91.8, and the final November 93.1, according to market sources.

Sales of new single-family homes grew 4.3% to a 490,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate in November, according to data released by the Commerce Department Wednesday.

Service sector activity "remained subdued in December," according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond service-sector activity survey, released Tuesday.

Manufacturing activity in the central Atlantic region "grew modestly in December," according to the monthly business activity survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, as the manufacturing index gained to positive 6 in December from negative 3 in November.

Existing home sales fell 10.5% to a seasonally adjusted 4.76 million-unit rate in November from a downwardly revised 5.32 million pace the previous month, the National Association of Realtors announced Tuesday.

The region's non-manufacturing sector gained in December, as the general business conditions index rose to 35.3 from 26.3 in November, this month's Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Report on Business indicates.

The Chicago Fed National Activity Index for November dropped to negative 0.04 from a revised negative 0.17 reading in October, while the three-month moving average (CFNAI-MA3) dipped to negative 0.20 from an upwardly revised negative 0.18 in October, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago reported Monday.

Consumers' view of inflation was at its lowest level in November, according to the Survey of Consumer Expectations, released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Friday.