Empire State Manufacturing Survey: General business activity: Future (increase vs decrease; diffusion index; percentage points; seasonally unadjusted) - United States - NY FED - Monthly
This series is part of the dataset: Empire State Manufacturing Survey (NY FED)
Download Full Dataset (.xlsx)Latest updates. According to survey data about NY-based manufacturers, the seasonally unadjusted diffusion index for general business activity (share of CEOs seeing a future increase minus share forecasting a decrease) stood at 3.9 in September 2025, compared to 4.6 in August.
Sample. This montly time series has 291 data points overall. The time span covered by the series extends from July 2001 to September 2025.
History. Take a look at a few simple statistics calculated on the entire sample: the diffusion index reached a minimum of -23.0 in September 2001; it recorded a maximum of 72.0 in April 2002; it had an average value of 34.4.
Latest values
| Date | Value - Percentage points |
|---|---|
| 2025-07-31 | 11.0 |
| 2025-08-31 | 4.6 |
| 2025-09-30 | 3.9 |
Suggestion. A plus of using FetchSeries is that we give you well-crafted metadata. Find it below to better understand the properties of the indicators that you analyze.
Not for investment purposes. Data series and other information released on this web site are not meant for investment purposes or as a basis for making financial decisions. Users should consult expert advice and do their own independent due diligence before pledging money to any investment.
Series Metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Description | Diffusion index for the question: Will general business activity increase or decrease over the next six months? |
| Country | United States |
| Economic concept | Business survey response |
| Data type | Leading indicator of the business cycle |
| Deflation method | Not applicable |
| Seasonally adjusted | No |
| Rescaling | None |
| Frequency | Montly |
| Unit | Percentage points |
| Source | Federal Reserve Bank of New York |
| Source type | Central bank |
| Data licence | Free use subject to conditions |
| Measure type | Diffusion index (share of respondents reporting an increase minus share reporting a decrease) |
Series in the same data set
Discover the other time series included in this data set.