greenbooks · August 19, 1991
Greenbook/Tealbook
Prefatory Note
The attached document represents the most complete and accurate version
available based on original copies culled from the files of the FOMC Secretariat at the
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. This electronic document was
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CONFIDENTIAL (FR)
CLASS III - FOMC
August 16, 1991
SUPPLEMENT
CURRENT ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CONDITIONS
Prepared for the
Federal Open Market Committee
By the Staff
Board of Governors
of the Federal Reserve System
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
THE DOMESTIC NONFINANCIAL ECONOMY
Industrial production and capacity
Motor vehicle sales. . . . . . . .
Consumer sentiment . . . . . . . .
Housing markets .
. . . . . . . .
Real GNP in 1991:Q2 .
. . . . . .
utilization
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
.
.
.
.
..
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Tables
Growth in selected components of industrial production
Capacity utilization in manufacturing .
. . . . . ...
University of Michigan Survey Research Center:
Survey of consumer attitudes . . . . . . . . . . . .
Private housing activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Charts
Private housing starts .
Unemployment insurance .
. . . . .
. . . . .
. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .
. .
. .
THE FINANCIAL ECONOMY
Senior financial officer and loan officer surveys. .
Tables
Monetary aggregates . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selected financial market quotations . . . . .
. . . .
. . . .
11
12
THE INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY
U.S. merchandise trade through June 1991 . .
. .
Table
Merchandise trade: Census-based data. . . . . . .
summary of months
U.S. merchandise trade:
and quarters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. .
13
SUPPLEMENTAL NOTES
THE DOMESTIC NONFINANCIAL ECONOMY
Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization
The index of industrial production rose 0.5 percent in July.
During the past four months, the index has retraced nearly one-half of
the decline that occurred between last September and March of this
year.
Since April, rising output of motor vehicles, construction
supplies, and related materials have been major factors in the
recovery of industrial production.
Last month, a 10 percent rise in motor vehicle assemblies
contributed 0.15 percentage point to the total increase in the index.
Excluding motor vehicles, output of durable consumer goods declined
because the production of appliances, which surged in June, fell back
in July; nonetheless, the level of appliance output in July was about
9 percent above its low of last December.
In addition, production of
carpeting and furniture was flat in July after a strong showing in
June.
The output of nondurable consumer goods edged up again in July,
mainly because of another gain in apparel production.
Production of
business equipment firmed a bit last month, although apart from the
rise in motor vehicle assemblies and a surge in production of
turbines, the gains were small.
Production of construction supplies rose 0.6 percent in July,
somewhat less than the average monthly gain of more than 1 percent in
the preceding three months.
A further increase in the production of
lumber was the principal contributor to the overall rise.
Despite the
recent strong gains, the level of output of construction supplies was
still nearly 10 percent below its most recent high, which occurred in
early 1990.
-2Output of materials rose another 0.7 percent in July.
Within
durables, materials related to motor vehicle production posted further
gains, along with basic metals.
Among nondurables, textiles showed
another significant gain, and output of paper rose sharply for a
second month.
July:
Production of energy materials was little changed in
Increases in coal, electricity generation, and crude oil were
nearly offset by a sharp curtailment in output of natural gas.
Production in manufacturing advanced 0.6 percent in July: as a
result, capacity utilization in manufacturing increased 0.2 percentage
point to 78.4 percent.
The overall factory operating rate remains a
percentage point below its level at year-end 1990 and 6-3/4 percentage
points below its recent high in January 1989.
Motor Vehicle Sales
After running close to 10-1/2 million units (annual rate) in June
and July, sales of new domestic cars and light trucks were 10 million
units (annual rate) during the first ten-day selling period in
August. 1
Auto sales dropped back to a 6-1/2 million unit rate after
averaging 6-3/4 million units
(annual rate) in the preceding two
months; truck sales also moved slightly lower than their June-July
average.
Consumer Sentiment
Based on the first 323 (of an eventual 500) responses to the
University of Michigan's survey, the composite index of consumer
sentiment fell 3.3 points to a level of 79.6.
Much of the slippage
occurred in the "expected conditions" component, although the "current
conditions" component declined as well.
Respondents' average expected
1. Ten-day sales are seasonally adjusted using FRB factors prorated
to BEA's monthly seasonal factors.
-3price increase during the next 12 months remained at 38 percent, but
the average expected annual increase over the next five to ten years
dropped from 5.5 percent in July to 4.8 percent in August.
Housing Markets
Private housing starts recovered further in July.
As has been
the case so far in the current upturn, an increase in single-family
construction accounted for almost all the July rise in starts.
Single-family starts reached 894,000 units (annual rate) in July, the
highest level since May 1990.
Moreover, permit issuance for single-
family homes rose further to 792,000 units (annual rate).
Multifamily
starts edged up in July to 176,000 units (annual rate), a level that
remains close to the 30-year low recorded in May.
On a regional basis, total housing starts in July strengthened
noticeably in the South and were up in the West; in the Northeast, a
steep decline in new homebuilding likely represents a return to a more
sustainable level of activity following a surge in starts in June.
Real GNP in 1991:Q2
Based on the information received to date, the staff expects that
the preliminary estimate of real GNP to be released on August 28 will
be little changed from the advance release, which showed real GNP up
at a 0.4 percent annual rate and real GDP having risen at a
1.2 percent rate.
However, the composition of real GNP likely will be
noticeably different than estimated earlier:
Inventory liquidation
appears to have been somewhat greater than the BEA anticipated
earlier, and final sales appear to be stronger.
The staff is
expecting upward revisions to net merchandise exports and personal
consumption expenditures that should more than offset a downward
adjustment to real spending on nonresidential construction.
-4GROWTH IN SELECTED COMPONENTS OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION
(Percent change from preceding comparable period)
Proportion
in
total
IP
1990:Q4
1990
19901
Q4
1991
1991
Q1
Q2
May
June
July
---- Annual rate---100.0
0.3
-7.0
-9.7
2.2
0.8
0.6
0.5
Excluding motor vehicles
and parts
96.2
0.8
-4.9
-8.6
0.7
0.7
0.5
0.3
Products, total
Final products
Consumer goods
Automotive products
Other consumer goods
Durables
Nondurables
Energy
Other
61.4
46.9
25.7
2.2
23.5
3.0
20.5
2.7
17.8
0.6
1.1
-0.7
-7.3
0.0
-3.9
0.6
-2.3
1.0
-5.3
-5.3
-3.8
-37.6
0.4
-16.2
3.2
-2.4
4.1
-8.8
-7.3
-7.0
-24.6
-5.3
-10.9
-4.4
-5.5
-4.3
1.6
2.2
5.3
40.3
2.6
11.0
1.4
4.2
1.0
0.7
0.4
0.9
3.2
0.7
0.4
0.8
4.1
0.3
0.4
0.3
0.6
2.8
0.4
2.4
0.1
-1.1
0.3
0.3
0.4
0.4
3.4
0.1
-0.6
0.2
0.4
0.2
15.8
1.0
14.8
6.6
4.3
4.8
5.7
4.2
-9.4
5.3
5.1
1.3
-0.2
-4.6
-7.6
-49.8
-3.4
0.4
-10.2
-4.7
-12.0
-7.4
-42.2
-4.6
7.0
-14.2
-8.6
-21.2
2.0
66.6
-1.2
0.3
-2.9
-11.2
-0.3
0.2
4.2
-0.1
-0.2
0.0
-1.1
1.1
-0.0
3.3
-0.3
-0.7
-0.3
-0.9
1.2
0.8
6.4
0.4
0.2
1.1
-0.7
0.6
Materials
Durable
Nondurable
Energy
38.6
19.6
8.8
10.2
-0.1
-0.5
0.5
0.0
-9.7
-13.9
-5.5
-4.5
-11.0
-16.7
-7.0
-3.0
3.2
3.1
1.1
5.1
1.2
1.2
0.7
1.4
1.0
0.9
1.2
1.0
0.7
1.0
0.7
0.2
Memorandum:
Major industry groups:
Manufacturing
Excluding motor vehicles
and parts
84.9
0.3
-7.4
-10.4
1.9
0.6
0.7
0.6
81.0
0.9
-4.9
-9.2
0.1
0.4
0.6
0.4
7.5
7.6
2.4
-2.1
-1.4
-7.6
-4.0
-7.6
-3.0
10.2
-0.3
4.8
1.9
-1.4
-0.9
0.7
Total index
Business equipment
Motor vehicles
Other business equipment
and related
Industrial
Defense and space equip.
Construction supplies
Mining
Utilities
1. From the final quarter of the previous period to the final quarter of the period
indicated.
CAPACITY UTILIZATION IN MANUFACTURING
(Percent of capacity; seasonally adjusted)
1967-89 1988-89
1991
1990
Avg.
High
July
May
June
July
Total industry
82.2
85.0
83.8
79.1
79.5
79.7
Manufacturing
81.5
85.1
83.1
77.8
78.2
78.4
82.3
81.1
89.0
83.6
86.1
81.8
79.1
77.3
80.1
77.4
80.8
77.5
Primary processing
Advanced processing
August 16, 1991
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SURVEY RESEARCH CENTER: SURVEY OF CONSUMER ATTITUDES
(Not seasonally adjusted)
1990
Dec
1991
Jan
1991
Feb
1991
Mar
1991
Apr
1991
May
1991
Jun
1991
Jul
1991
Aug
Composite of current and expected conditions
65.5
66.8
70.4
87.7
81.8
78.3
82.1
82.9
79.6
Current conditions
Expected conditions
84.0
53.7
84.9
55.2
83.7
62.0
92.7
84.5
92.8
74.7
89.0
71.5
91.9
75.9
96.1
74.4
90.7
72.4
98
110
104
118
96
120
102
126
99
122
102
124
104
120
103
119
101
111
113
100
98
79
102
81
99
80
114
120
126
138
137
148
132
141
140
127
128
149
129
133
148
134
145
148
134
134
148
Indexes of consumer sentiment (Feb. 1966-100)
Personal financial situation
Now compared with 12 months ago*
Expected in 12 months*
Expected business conditions
Next 12 months*
Next 5 years*
Appraisal of buying conditions
Cars
Large household appliances*
Houses
104
119
114
105
115
126
36
44
31
50
Average expected increase in prices during
the next 12 months
5.5
5.1
4.8
4.5
4.3
4.6
4.8
3.8
3.8
Average expected increase in prices (per year)
over the next 5 to 10 years
5.9
5.6
6.0
6.2
5.2
5.5
5.8
5.5
4.8
willingness to use credit
willingness to use savings
* --
Indicates the question is
one of the five equally-weighted components of the index of sentiment.
Note: Figures on financial, business, and buying conditions are the percent r eporting 'good times' (or
'better') minus the percent reporting 'bad times' (or 'worse'), plus 100.
-6PRIVATE HOUSING ACTIVITY
(Seasonally adjusted annual rates; millions of units)
1990
Annual
All units
Permits
Starts
Single-family units
Permits
Starts
Sales
New homes
Existing homes
Multifamily units
Permits
Starts
Vacancy rate
Rental units
Owned units
p
1. Percent.
Preliminary.
1990
1991
1991
r
r
Juner
July p
.97
.98
1.00
1.03
1.00
1.07
.76
.83
.76
.83
.78
.86
.79
.89
.47
3.09
.51
3.48
.49
3.54
.53
3.59
n.a.
n.a.
.23
.26
.19
.19
.20
.17
.21
.15
.22
.17
.21
.18
9.0
6.6
9.4
7.6
9.4
7.1
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
Q4
Q1
Q2
May
1.11
1.19
.90
1.04
.86
.92
.96
1.00
.79
.90
.67
.79
.67
.73
.53
3.30
.47
3.12
.32
.30
9.1
7.2
Owned units consist mainly of condominiums.
n.a. Not available.
r Revised estimates.
PRIVATE HOUSING STARTS
(Seasonally adjusted annual rate)
Millions of units
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
Unemployment Insurance
(Weekly data; seasonally adjusted, FRB basis <1>)
Initial Claims
Thousands
700
650
600
550
Aug3
All regular programs
433.6
j 500
450
400
350
300
1981
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
250
1991
Millions
Insured Unemployment
r5.0
All regular programs
Jul 27
3.43
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
<1> Only the state program components of these series are
seasonally adjusted.
1986
1987
1988
1990
1991
-8-
THE FINANCIAL ECONOMY
Senior Financial Officer and Loan Officer Surveys 2
In view of the unusual weakness of the monetary aggregates and
bank credit in recent months, the System recently conducted two
surveys of large commercial banks, requesting information on retail
deposit behavior, loan demand, and lending standards.
On the Senior Financial Officer Survey, more than half of the 45
banks that have responded to date indicated that retail deposit growth
at their institution has been unusually weak since the end of May.
The most frequently cited reason for the unusually slow growth was the
more attractive returns available on nondeposit instruments, such as
bond funds and Treasury securities:
Of the banks experiencing
unusually weak deposit growth, about three-quarters considered this a
factor.
In addition, more than half of them attributed some of the
weakness to changes in their own deposit rates, fee structures, or
promotional expenditures.
Indeed, banks with slow deposit growth more
often reported that they had lowered their deposit rates relative to
other banks in their market, had increased fees, or reduced
advertising and other promotional efforts.
Other reasons for the slow
growth--including the condition of the local economy, rates and terms
offered by other depositories, concerns about deposit safety, and
changes in their own promotion of nondeposit investments--also were
given, but less frequently.
Several questions on the survey dealt with possible reasons for
changes in banks' demands for retail deposits.
About 20 percent of
respondents indicated that increased deposit insurance premiums had
2. A more extensive analysis of the survey results will be available
next week.
-9reduced somewhat their demands for retail deposits.
And a handful of
the eighteen banks that had acquired retail deposits from failed
depository institutions indicated that this had made them less
aggressive in seeking additional deposits.
A larger share, about a
third of the surveyed banks, reported that the weak pace of asset
growth had decreased their demands for retail deposits, and about half
said it had reduced their demands for wholesale liabilities.
With regard to the strength of customers' demands for loans,
about a third of the banks indicated that large corporations had
exhibited weaker-than-normal loan demand in recent months, with
reduced inventory and fixed investment financing needs most often
cited as the reasons.
Loan demand on the part of middle-market and
small business customers appeared to have been about the same as
usual, with roughly the same number of respondents reporting increased
as decreased demand.
In the home mortgage and consumer markets, the
balance tipped toward those reporting stronger demands for credit.
In
general, those banks reporting unusually slow deposit growth tended to
be a bit more likely to report weaker loan demand.
Results from the Senior Loan Officer Survey show a further
reduction in the net share of banks that had tightened credit
availability over the last three months.
Only 10 to 15 percent of
domestic respondents reported some tightening of credit standards for
business borrowers, and a couple indicated some easing.
The waning of
the trend toward tightening was even more evident at foreign-related
institutions.
The number of respondent banks imposing stricter terms on the
loans that are being made was higher than the number tightening
standards, but it, too, was down noticeably from that in the May
survey.
In the commercial real estate area, the tightening of
-10standards over the most recent three months continued at about the
same pace reported in the prior survey, with about a quarter of the
domestic respondents reporting further tightening.
Lending standards
for residential mortgages were also raised, but the number of banks
tightening declined, as it had in the May survey.
On balance, banks
reported no change in their willingness to provide consumer credit
over the last three months.
Of those reporting tightened credit standards for approving
construction and land development loans in the last year, more than
four-fifths of respondent domestic banks had tightened lending
practices in the following areas over that period:
preleasing (share
of units under lease commitments prior to loan), borrower equity, and
collateral.
About seven out of ten domestic respondents raised the
spreads of loan rates over the cost of funds.
Somewhat smaller
fractions of foreign banks changed these practices.
-11MONETARY AGGREGATES
(based on seasonally adjusted data unless otherwise noted)
Growth
19901
1991
Q1
1991
Q2
1991
May
1991
Jun
1991
Jul p
04 90Jul 91p
------------ Percent change at annual rates--------------------1.
2.
M1
M2
3.
M3
4.2
3.8
1.7
------------
5.9
3.4
4.0
7.3
4.6
1.8
13.5
4.2
0.5
9.6
1.4
-2.1
1.8
-3.7
-4.6
Percent change at annual rates-----------
Levels
bil.
s
Jul 91p
Selected components
4.
5.
6.
Currency
Demand deposits
7.
Other checkable
8.
M2 minus M12
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
20.
21.
22.
23.
deposits
Overnight RPs and Eurodollars, NSA
General purpose and broker/dealer money
market mutual fund shares
Commercial banks
3
Savings deposits plus MMDAs
Small time deposits
Thrift institutions
3
Savings deposits plus MMOAs
Small time deposits
17. M3 minus M2
18.
19.
5.7
3.9
7.3
6.4
-2.0
545.5
11.0
15.3
-0.6
-2.5
3.9
0.9
4.5
12.6
3.7
9.9
6.1
-9.0
258.9
278.9
3.5
6.1
13.5
24.6
15.2
8.5
314.2
3.7
2.6
3.7
1.1
-1.3
-5.6
2528.3
3.0
-42.3
-16.0
-34.7
-23.2
-58.4
62.6
11.0
9.9
7.5
12.4
-5.5
-2.2
-7.3
18.2
8.2
7.5
8.9
-6.3
-0.7
-9.8
6.6
7.3
16.7
-1.8
-1.5
18.4
-13.7
3.0
5.8
17.3
-5.8
-0.1
22.9
-14.9
-2.6
8.7
16.3
1.0
-11.2
11.7
-26.5
-16.1
5.2
11.6
-1.4
-9.0
10.3
-22.1
359.4
1226.6
625.6
601.0
882.1
364.5
517.7
-6.4
6.7
-10.2
-15.4
-17.4
-8.5
761.3
-9.5
-3.5
-23.9
1.2
11.9
-32.1
-7.6
0.3
-34.8
-8.0
2.4
-46.3
-11.7
-3.6
-42.4
-17.3
-12.1
-38.1
491.8
394.1
97.7
20.2
-12.0
-12.1
49.9
-32.8
7.9
23.0
-25.6
-31.2
4.9
-16.1
-47.5
-23.8
-34.1
-7.3
-12.6
22.9
11.1
141.8
80.2
65.7
Ml-A
4
Large time deposits
5
At commercial banks, net
At thrift institutions
Institution-only money market
mutual fund shares
Term RPs, NSA
Term Eurodollars, NSA
-----Average monthly change in billions of dollars---MEMORANDA:
24. Managed liabilities at commercial
banks (25+261
25.
Large time deposits, gross
26.
Nondeposit funds
Net due to related foreign
institutions
7
Other
28.
29. U.S. government deposits at comercial
a
banks
-0.1,
-2.6
2.4
-1.5
6.4
-7.9
-4.9
0.3
-5.2
-2.6
1.7
-4.3
2.2
0.2
-1.5
-6.4
-3.7
-1.5
-4.8
0.4
3.1
-3.5
-6.6
-11.3
-1.1
-10.2
-4.8
-4.4
-0.4
695.8
447.5
248.3
-6.9
-3.3
-0.4
0.0
18.8
229.5
8.1
-2.8
20.4
27.
1. Amounts shown are from fourth quarter to fourth quarter.
2. Nontransactions M2 is seasonally adjusted as a whole.
3. Commercial bank savings deposits excluding MMDAs grew during June and July at rates of 21
percent and 13.9 percent, respectively. At thrift institutions, savings deposits excluding HMOAs grew
during June and July at rates of 11.4 percent and 8 percent, respectively.
4. The non-M2 component of M3 is seasonally adjusted as a whole.
5. Net of large denomination time deposits held by money market mutual funds and thrift institutions.
6. Dollar amounts shown under memoranda are calculated on an end-month-of-quarter basis.
7. Consists of borrowing from other than commercial banks in the form of federal funds purchased, securities
sold under agreements to repurchase, and other liabilities for borrowed money (including borrowing from the
Federal Reserve and unaffiliated foreign banks, loan RPs and other minor items). Data are partially estimated.
8. Consists of Treasury demand deposits and note balances at commercial banks.
p - preliminary
-121
SELECTED FINANCIAL MARKET QUOTATIONS
(percent)
-- -- - -- - - - -- - -- - - - -- - -- -- - -- - - - -- - - - -- - -- - -- - - - -- -- - -- - -- - - - -- -
1989
1990
1991
Change from:
Dec
lows
March
highs
Aug
highs
FOMC
Jul 3 Aug 15
Aug 90 FOMC
highs Jul 3
...................................
Short-term rates
Federal funds 2
9.85
8.45
8.21
9.09
9.11
9.05
7.53
7.29
7.11
Commercial paper
1-month
3-month
10.05
10.15
8.51
8.22
Large negotiable CDs 3
1-month
3-month
6-month
10.07
10.32
10.08
8.52
8.22
Eurodollar deposits 4
1-month
3-month
Bank prime rate
5.78
5.64
-2.57
-0.14
7.59
5.56
5.30
7.51
5.69
6.00
5.35
5.35
-2.29
-2.16
-2.10
-0.34
-0.65
8.10
6.05
5.69
8.05
6.13
5.67
-2.41
-2.38
-0.36
-0.46
8.01
8.14
8.18
8.25
5.95
6.04
6.33
5.61
5.61
5.76
-2.53
-2.57
-2.49
-0.34
-0.43
-0.57
10.19
10.50
8.38
8.25
8.13
8.19
5.94
6.06
5.56
5.56
-2.57
-2.63
-0.38
-0.50
11.50
10.50
10.00
8.50
8.50
-1.50
0.00
U.S. Treasury (constant maturity)
3-year
9.88
7.69
10-year
9.53
7.77
30-year
9.31
7.83
8.50
9,05
9.17
7.40
8.26
8.42
6.73
7.84
8.09
-1.77
-1.21
-1.08
-0.67
-0.42
Municipal revenue(Bond Buyer)
Treasury bills
3-month
6-month
1-year
3
7.45
-0.26
Intermediate- and long-term rates
Corporate--A utility
recently offered
Home mortgage rates
S&L fixed-rate
S&L ARM, 1-yr.
-0.33
7.95
7.28
7.80
7.30
7.03
-0.77
-0.27
10.47
9.29
10.50
9.52
9.24
-1.26
-0.28
11.22
9.31
9.69
8.34
10.29
8.39
9.67
7.25
9.27
7.14
-1.02
-1.25
-0.40
-0.11
6
1989
Record
highs
Date
Lows
Jan 3
1991
FOMC
Jul 3 Aug 15
Percent change from:
Record
highs
1989
lows
-1.22
-0.17
-7.31
-0.39
-0.11
39.81
38.56
20.56
36.22
37.48
FOMC
Jul 3
Stock prices
Dow-Jones Industrial 3035.33
NYSE Composite
213.75
AMEX Composite
397.03
NASDAQ (OTC)
517.68
Wilshire
3741.74
6/3/91 2144.64 2934.70 2998.43
8/7/91
154.00 204.47 213.38
10/10/89 305.24 358.41 367.99
8/14/91
378.56 474.32 515.67
8/14/91 2718.59 3563.19 3737.63
2.17
4.36
2.67
8.72
4.90
.....................................................................................................
One-day quotes except as noted.
Average for two-week reserve maintenance period closest to
date shown. Last observation is average to date for the
maintenance period ending August 21, 1991.
3/ Secondary market.
4/ Bid rates for Eurodollar
deposits at 11 a.m. London time.
5/ Based on one-day Thursday quotes
and futures market index changes.
6/ Quotes for week ending
Friday closest to date shown.
-13THE INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY
U.S. Merchandise Trade through June 1991
In June, the U.S. merchandise trade deficit was $4.0 billion
(seasonally adjusted, Census basis), somewhat less than the revised
May deficit of $4.8 billion.
(See the tables that follow.)
of both exports and imports declined in June.
The level
Most of the 1 percent
decline in exports was in agricultural products and industrial
supplies (primarily fuels and chemicals).
The 3 percent decrease in
imports was spread across most major trade categories
(except
automotive products from Japan).
The deficit narrowed in the second quarter, the third consecutive
quarter of improvement.
There was strong growth in the value of
exports (about 4 percent) from the first to second quarters and only a
small increase in the value of imports (less than 1 percent).
The
increase in exports was primarily in machinery, commercial aircraft,
and automotive products.
The small rise in imports resulted from
increases in foods and capital goods
(particularly computers and
aircraft) that were nearly offset by declines in oil and automotive
products.
The price of oil declined about $3 per barrel in the second
quarter (and by about $12 per barrel since the fourth quarter); the
quantity of oil rose by 1 million barrels per day from the firstquarter rate.
The reduction in automotive imports was for the third
consecutive quarter.
In the second quarter, the decline in automotive
imports was the result of large and nearly offsetting swings in
imports from Japan and Canada:
There was a sharp reduction in
shipments from Japan and a large increase in automotive imports from
Canada.
In the previous two quarters, all of the decline in
automotive imports was from Canada.
-14-
August 16,
1991
Merchandise Trade: Census-Based Data
(in billions of dollars, seasonally adjusted *)
Exports
Total
Ag.
322.4
363.8
394.5
1988
1989
1990
I
NonAg.
Imports
Total
Oil
NonOil
I Balance
37.7
42.2
40.3
284.7
321.6
354.2
441.0
473.2
495.0
38.5
48.9
62.2
402.5
424.3
432.8
-118.5
-109.4
-100.5
489.7
482.4
498.0
509.9
63.3
51.3
61.9
72.1
426.4
431.1
436.1
437.7
-104.8
474.9
476.2
52.9
51.7
422.0
424.6
-67.8
-53.3
Quarters at annual rates:
1990 Qtr 1
2
3
4
384.9
396.2
386.7
410.0
43.1
41.5
38.5
37.9
341.8
354.7
348.2
372.1
1991 Qtr 1
2
407.1
423.0
39.3
38.3
367.8
384.7
1990 Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
31.4
31.6
33.3
32.1
32.8
34.2
32.1
32.5
32.0
35.0
34.2
33.3
3.7
3.5
3.6
3.3
3.4
3.7
3.2
3.3
3.1
3.1
3.3
3.1
27.7
28.1
29.6
28.7
29.4
30.6
28.9
29.2
28.9
31.9
30.9
30.2
41.6
39.1
41.7
39.7
40.7
40.1
41.4
41.8
41.3
44.5
43.1
39.9
5.8
5.2
4.8
4.1
4.6
4.2
4.2
5.3
5.9
6.3
6.5
5.3
35.8
34.0
36 .9
35.7
36.1
36.0
37.2
36.5
35.4
38.2
36.6
34.6
-10.2
-7.6
-8.4
-7.7
-8.0
-5.9
-9.2
-9.3
-9.3
-9.5
-8.9
-6.6
1991 Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
34.1
33.6
34.0
35.6
35.3
34.8
3.1
3.4
3.3
3.2
3.3
3.1
31.0
30.2
30.7
32.5
31.9
31.8
41.5
39.1
38.1
40.1
40.1
38.9
5.2
4.1
3.8
4.1
4.6
4.2
36.3
35.0
34.3
36.1
35.4
34.7
-7.4
-5.5
-4.1
-4.5
-4.8
-4.0
1
-86.2
-111.3
-99.8
Monthly Rates:
--------------------------------------------------------------
A All data are on a revised end-use basis.
Sources
U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Customs Valuation.
-15August 16,
1991
U.S. MERCHANDISE TRADE: SUMMARY OF MONTHS AND QUARTERS -- LEVELS
Billions of dollars, seasonally adjusted (except as noted), Census-basis Data
1991
Feb
1991
Mar
1991
Apr
1991
May
1991
Jun
1990
Qtr-2
1990
Qtr-3
- - - - - - -. - . - - - - -
1990
Qtr-4
1991
Qtr-1
.- .- - - -. - - - . - - -
1991
Qtr-2
.-- -
.--
TRADE BALANCE (Census-basis)
-5504
-4070
-4507
-4790
-4022
-21547 -27821
-24962
......------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-16950
-13319
EXPORTS, Total (FAS Value)
Agricultural
Nonagricultural
33599
3392
30208
34031
3332
30699
35632
3168
32464
35271
3329
31942
34839
3077
31762
99052
10384
88669
96684
9635
87049
102506
9483
93023
101774
9823
91951
105742
9574
96168
Ind Supplies (Norag)**
Fuels (coal,petrol,etc)
Chemicals
Gold (Census)
Other Ind Supplies
9025
1640
2721
332
4332
8193
1124
2716
243
4109
8548
953
2787
359
4448
8675
1263
2646
249
4518
8009
1037
2475
168
4328
23131
3056
6993
620
12462
23541
3591
6871
416
12662
26308
4620
7735
891
13061
25942
4213
8124
833
12772
25231
3253
7908
776
13294
12414
2236
2233
1165
6779
13484
3003
2287
1196
6998
14433
3392
2354
1215
7472
13698
2726
2243
1228
7501
14407
3598
2228
1196
7385
38522
8661
6270
3291
20300
37988
7914
6610
3340
20124
38608
7716
6599
3445
20847
38877
7710
6826
3533
20807
42538
9717
6825
3640
22357
2604
3863
2302
2906
3808
2307
3383
3838
2262
3478
3754
2338
3451
3663
2231
9896
10946
6173
9113
10706
5702
9376
11464
7268
8625
11601
6907
10313
11255
6831
39103
4143
34960
38100
3843
34257
40139
4089
36050
40061
4616
35445
38860
4209
34651
120599
12836
107763
124505
15473
109032
127468
18034
109433
118724
13225
105499
119061
12915
106146
Foods, Feeds,Beverages
2060
2118
2364
2333
2297
6744
6422
6471
6389
6993
Ind Supplies (ex Oil)
Chemicals
Iron & Steel Mill Prod
Gold (Census)
Other Ind Supplies
6613
1209
761
126
4517
6274
1194
678
155
4247
6869
1241
784
165
4679
6665
1238
647
251
4529
6247
1255
543
119
4330
20133
3533
2192
238
14170
20237
3549
2295
236
14157
20532
3659
2284
337
14252
19860
3627
2207
520
13506
19780
3733
1973
535
13538
Capital Goods
Aircraft & Parts
Computers S Access
Semiconductors
Other Capital Gds
9933
969
2024
1058
5883
9925
980
2051
1067
5827
10367
1013
2079
1088
6186
10059
1007
2223
1025
5805
9842
1088
2206
1018
5530
28887
2679
5723
3011
17474
29044
2481
5746
3012
17805
30034
3196
5812
3073
17953
29801
2797
6047
3176
17781
30269
3108
6509
3131
17521
Automotive Products
From Canada
From Other
6658
1797
4861
6604
2044
4560
6669
2337
4332
6517
2455
4062
6640
2345
4295
21893
7747
14146
22495
8062
14433
21483
6829
14654
20551
5911
14639
19826
7137
12690
Consumer Goods
Other Nonpetrol Imports
8485
1211
8049
1287
8508
1274
8409
1462
8144
1481
26141
3966
26621
4212
26682
4231
25101
3798
25060
4218
Memo Items, NSA:
Oil Imports: Value*
Volume l bd)*
Price ($/bbli•
3698
6.94
19.04
3757
6.88
17.62
3986
7.76
17.11
4599
8.56
17.33
4049
8.06
16.75
12434
8.75
15.61
15233
8.40
19.71
17810
6.79
28.51
12783
7.06
20.11
12633
8.13
17.07
Passenger Car Imports (NSA)
from Canada
from Japan*
from other (residual)
3490
729
1855
906
3879
1172
1807
901
3741
1281
1499
962
3522
1398
1197
927
3626
1411
1456
759
11596
3893
4436
3267
10203
2879
4351
2973
13076
3669
5767
3639
11174
2767
5567
2839
10889
4089
4152
2648
Capital Goods
Aircraft & Parts
Computers & Access
Sem iconductors
Other Capital Gds
Automotive Products
Consumer Goods
Other Nonagric Exports
..................................................................................................................
IMPORTS, Total (Customs Value)
Petroleum (revised, SA)
Nonpetroleum
* Unrevised data.
'* Agricultural Industrial Supplies (primarily cotton and tobacco
are excluded from this line.
Cite this document
APA
Federal Reserve (1991, August 19). Greenbook/Tealbook. Greenbooks, Federal Reserve. https://whenthefedspeaks.com/doc/greenbook_19910820_part2
BibTeX
@misc{wtfs_greenbook_19910820_part2,
author = {Federal Reserve},
title = {Greenbook/Tealbook},
year = {1991},
month = {Aug},
howpublished = {Greenbooks, Federal Reserve},
url = {https://whenthefedspeaks.com/doc/greenbook_19910820_part2},
note = {Retrieved via When the Fed Speaks corpus}
}