Fifth District Survey of Manufacturing Activity: Shipments: Future (increase vs decrease; diffusion index; percentage points; seasonally adjusted) - United States - Richmond FED - Monthly
This series is part of the dataset: Fifth District Survey of Manufacturing Activity (Richmond FED)
Download Full Dataset (.xlsx)Latest updates. According to survey data about manufacturers based in the Fifth District, the seasonally adjusted diffusion index for shipments (share of CEOs seeing a future increase minus share forecasting a decrease) was 0.0 in September 2025, compared to 13.0 in August.
Sample. This monthly series has 290 observations in total. The time span covered by the series goes from January 1993 to September 2025.
History. Take a look at a few descriptive statistics we computed on the entire sample: the diffusion index was equal on average to 30.8; it peaked at 52.0 in February 1993; it reached its minimum of -18.0 in April 2025.
Latest values
| Date | Value - Percentage points |
|---|---|
| 2025-07-31 | 11.0 |
| 2025-08-31 | 13.0 |
| 2025-09-30 | 0.0 |
Tip. We categorize indicators into data sets and worksheets to simplify exploration. By moving down the page, you will discover how we structured further material linked to the statistics published here.
Not for investment purposes. Time series and other data distributed on this web site are not meant for investment purposes or as a basis for making financial decisions. Users should seek expert advice and perform independent analysis before pledging money to any investment.
Series Metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Description | Diffusion index for the question: Will shipments 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 | Yes |
| Rescaling | None |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Unit | Percentage points |
| Source | Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond |
| Source type | Central bank |
| Data licence | Not copyrightable under U.S. law |
| 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.