Economic indicators

Texas factory activity continued to expand modestly in December while general business activity worsened, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas said on Monday.

The Midwest Economy Index fell to 0.09 in November from 0.20 in October, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago said on Monday.

Pending home sales dropped 0.7% to an index reading of 101.4 in November, after an unrevised 2.6% decline to 102.1 in October.

The MNI Chicago Business Barometer eased to 65.4 in December, down 1.0 point from November's 66.4, the latest survey showed Friday.

The consumer confidence index decreased to 128.1 in December from an upwardly revised 136.4 last month.

Initial claims for U.S. state unemployment benefits fell by 1,000 to 216,000 in the December 22 week, slightly above expectations for a 215,000 level.

Service sector “grew moderately in December,” according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond service-sector activity survey, released Wednesday.

Manufacturing growth in the central Atlantic region “weakened in December,” according to the monthly business activity survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, as the manufacturing index dropped to negative 8 from positive 14.

Home prices in 20 U.S. cities slowed in October for a seventh consecutive month, extending the longest streak since 2014, a sign of waning demand amid higher mortgage rates and elevated property values.

The Chicago Fed National Activity Index for November rose to 0.22 from a downwardly revised neutral level in October.