Gary Siegel

The seasonally adjusted Milwaukee Report on Business declined to 50.3 in February from 51.6 in January, the Institute for Supply Management-Milwaukee reported Friday.

Manufacturing activity in the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's region "rose just slightly from the previous month, but producers expected activity to pick up moderately in the months ahead" in February, according to the bank's monthly manufacturing survey, released Thursday.

U.S. durable goods orders climbed 2.8% in January, while excluding transportation orders grew 0.3%, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

Initial jobless claims surged 31,000 to 313,000 in the week ended Feb. 21, the Labor Department said Thursday.

The January consumer price index dropped 0.7% while the core rate rose 0.2%, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

Texas service sector activity "continued to reflect expansion in February," according to business executives responding to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas' Texas Service Sector Outlook Survey, as the revenue index gained to 13.6 from 12.1.

The region's non-manufacturing sector climbed in February, as the general business conditions index surged to 46.9 from 8.8 in January, this month's Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Report on Business indicates.

Service sector activity "expanded at a moderate pace in February," according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond service-sector activity survey, released Tuesday.

Manufacturing activity in the central Atlantic region "activity slowed in February," according to the monthly business activity survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, as the manufacturing index slid to 0 in February from 6 in January.

The consumer confidence index slid to 96.4 in February from a revised 103.8 last month, The Conference Board reported Tuesday.

Annual benchmark revisions to the Consumer Price Index, (1982-84 equals 100) resulted in the December CPI headline number being revised to a 0.3% decline from the initially reported 0.4% drop, the Labor Department said Friday.

The region's manufacturing sector expanded at a slower pace in February, as the general business conditions index dropped to 5.2 from 6.3 in January, this month's Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Report on Business indicates.

The composite index of Leading Economic Indicators was up 0.2% in January following a revised 0.4% rise in December, first reported as a 0.5% climb, the Conference Board reported Thursday.

Industrial production gained 0.2% in January, the Federal Reserve reported Wednesday.

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

In his final speech as president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, Charles Plosser Tuesday stressed the need for the central bank to remain independent so monetary policy stays free of political interference.

Builders' confidence in the market for new single-family homes fell as the National Association of Home Builders' housing market index — a monthly gauge of builder sentiment — slipped to 55 in February from 57 in January.

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey showed "business activity continued to expand at a modest pace for New York manufacturers," the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported Tuesday, as the general business conditions index slipped to 7.78 in February from 9.95 in January.

The forecast for U.S. economic growth remains nearly the same as it did three months ago, with 3.2% growth expected this year, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia's Survey of Professional Forecasters, released Friday.

The University of Michigan's preliminary February consumer sentiment index reading was 93.6, compared to the final January 98.1, and the preliminary January 98.2, according to market sources.