Many people place emphasis on Durable Goods New Orders as a prominent economic indicator and/or leading economic indicator.
For reference, here are a few charts depicting this measure.
First, from the St. Louis Fed site (FRED), a chart through March, last updated on April 25. This March value is 202,568 ($ Millions) :
(click on charts to enlarge images)
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Here is the chart depicting this measure on a Percentage Change from a Year Ago basis:
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Lastly, a chart from Doug Short’s post of April 25 titled “Durable Goods Orders Fell 4.2 Percent: Far Below Expectations ” showing the Durable Goods New Orders vs. the S&P500′s monthly average of daily closes:
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The Special Note summarizes my overall thoughts about our economic situation
SPX at 1390.69 as this post is written