Gary Siegel

New York City business activity "moderated to a still healthy pace," in November, as the current business conditions index slipped to 60.7, from 65.8 in October, the Institute for Supply Management-New York's Report on Business index, released Wednesday, indicated.

The Midwest Economy Index narrowed to negative 0.14 in October from a downwardly revised negative 0.17 in September, first reported as negative 0.15, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago said Wednesday.

Private-sector employment increased by 217,000 in November, on a seasonally adjusted basis, ADP reported Wednesday.

Noting that his liftoff would come later than most of his colleagues, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President and Chief Executive Officer Charles L. Evans said Tuesday, he's more interested in the "trajectory" of rates after liftoff than when the first rate hike occurs, and he believes a fed funds rate under 1% at the end of 2016 could be appropriate.

Texas service sector activity "increased in November," according to business executives responding to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas' Texas Service Sector Outlook Survey, as the revenue index climbed to 10.3 from 7.6.

The overall economy grew for the seventy-eighth straight time, while the manufacturing sector contracted for the first time in three years, the Institute for Supply Management reported Tuesday.

Construction spending increased 1.0% in October, the Commerce Department said Tuesday, and is 13.-% above the October 2014 level.

Texas factory activity, as measured by the production index, "increased for a second month in a row in November after exhibiting weakness in the first three quarters," according to the monthly business activity survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, released Monday.

The Chicago Purchasing Managers' Business Barometer declined to 48.7 in November from 56.2 in October, the National Association of Purchasing Management-Chicago said Monday.

The seasonally adjusted Milwaukee Report on Business declined to 45.3 in November from 46.7 in October, the Institute for Supply Management-Milwaukee reported Monday.

The University of Michigan's final November consumer sentiment index reading was 93.1, compared to the preliminary November 93.1, and the final October 90.0, according to market sources.

Sales of new single-family homes soared 10.7% to a 495,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate in October, according to data released by the Commerce Department Wednesday.

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

Manufacturing activity in the central Atlantic region "slowed in November," according to the monthly business activity survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, as the manufacturing index slipped to negative 3 in November from negative 1 in October.

The consumer confidence index slid to 90.4 in November from a revised 99.1 last month, The Conference Board reported Tuesday.

The region's non-manufacturing sector gained in November, as the general business conditions index rose to 26.3 from 17.5 in October, this month's Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Report on Business indicates.

Existing home sales slid 3.4% to a seasonally adjusted 5.36 million-unit rate in October from an unrevised 5.55 million pace the previous month, the National Association of Realtors announced Monday.

The Chicago Fed National Activity Index for October improved to negative 0.04 from a revised negative 0.29 reading in September, while the three-month moving average (CFNAI-MA3) dipped to negative 0.20 from an upwardly revised negative 0.03 in September, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago reported Monday.

Manufacturing activity in the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's region in November "was largely flat, although expectations for future activity improved considerably," according to the bank's monthly manufacturing survey, released Thursday.

The composite index of Leading Economic Indicators was up 0.6% in October following a 0.1% dip in September, first reported as a 0.2% slide, the Conference Board reported Thursday.