MNI Indicators released a report on Friday showing a sharp pullback by its reading on Chicago-area business activity in the month of August.
The report said the Chicago business barometer tumbled to 41.5 in August after jumping to 47.1 in July, with a reading below 50 indicating contraction. Economists had expected the business barometer to edge down to 46.0.
The much steeper than expected drop by the headline index was driven by a sharp pullback by new orders, as the new orders index plunged by 10.8 points.
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June 19, 2026 16:46 ET Major central banks continued to dominate the economic news flow this week too, led by the Federal Reserve, as they announced their latest policy decisions. The Federal Reserve policy session was in focus as it was the first to be led by the new chief Kevin Warsh. In Europe, central banks of the U.K. and Switzerland announced their rate decisions. In Asia, the Bank of Japan drew attention for its policy moves, while data out of China threw some light on the state of the economy.