Fifth District Survey of Manufacturing Activity: New orders: Current (increase vs decrease; diffusion index; percentage points; seasonally unadjusted) - 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. Based on firms' responses to the Fifth District Survey of Manufacturing Activity carried out by the Richmond FED, the seasonally unadjusted diffusion index for new orders (share of CEOs seeing a recent increase minus share reporting a decrease) was 1.0 in July 2026, versus 6.0 in the previous month.
Sample. The monthly series plotted above has 395 observations overall. The span of time covered by the series goes from January 1993 to July 2026.
History. Here are some descriptive statistics calculated on the whole sample: the diffusion index had an average value of 1.6; it registered a minimum of -56.0 in December 2008; it reached its maximum of 45.0 in April 2010.
Latest values
| Date | Value - Percentage points |
|---|---|
| 2026-05-31 | 15.0 |
| 2026-06-30 | 6.0 |
| 2026-07-31 | 1.0 |
Heads-up. To simplify complex analyses, we categorize time series into worksheets and datasets. If you navigate further down, you will find how we arranged further material linked to the statistics provided here.
Not for investment purposes. Time series and other data accessible on this web site are not suitable for investment purposes or any other financial decision. Users should seek professional advice and do their own independent due diligence before taking any financial risk.
Series Metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Description | Diffusion index for the question: Did new orders increase or decrease in the past month? |
| Country | United States |
| Economic concept | Business survey response |
| Data type | Coincident indicator of the business cycle |
| Deflation method | Not applicable |
| Seasonally adjusted | No |
| 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.