Total U.S. Business Applications were 426,170 in September 2024, down 1.3% from August 2024.

August 2024 sales of merchant wholesalers were $670.9 billion, down 0.1 percent (+/- 0.4 percent)* from last month. End-of-month inventories were $904.8 billion, up 0.1 percent (+/- 0.2 percent)* from last month.

The nation's international trade deficit in goods and services decreased to $70.4 billion in August from $78.9 billion in July (revised), as exports increased and imports decreased.

New orders for manufactured goods in August, down three of the last four months, decreased $1.3 billion or 0.2 percent to $590.4 billion

Total construction activity for August 2024 ($2,131.9 billion) was 0.1 percent (+/-1.2 percent)* below the revised July 2024 ($2,133.9 billion).

August end-of-month inventories were $905.7 billion, up 0.2 percent (+/- 0.2 percent)* from last month.

The advance international trade deficit in goods decreased to $94.3 billion in August from $102.8 billion in July as exports increased and imports decreased.

August 2024 end-of-month inventories were $816.0 billion, up 0.5 percent (+/- 0.2%) from last month.

New orders for manufactured durable goods in August, up six of the last seven months, increased $0.1 billion or virtually unchanged to $289.7 billion.

Sales of new single-family houses in August 2024 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 716,000. This is 4.7 percent (+/- 10.6%)* below the revised July 2024 estimate of 751,000.

Privately-owned housing starts in August 2024 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,356,000. This is 9.6 percent (+/- 11.4%)* above the revised July 2024 estimate of 1,237,000.

U.S. total business end-of-month inventories for July 2024 were $2,574.9 billion, up 0.4 percent (+/- 0.1 percent) from last month. U.S. total business sales were $1,880.7 billion, up 1.1 percent (+/- 0.2 percent) from last month.

U.S. retail and food services sales for August 2024 were $710.8 billion, an increase of 0.1 percent (+/-0.5 percent)* from the previous month.

U.S. selected services total revenue for the second quarter of 2024, adjusted for seasonal variation but not for price changes, was $5,603.2 billion, an increase of 1.5 percent (+/- 0.2 percent) from the first quarter of 2024 and up 6.5 percent (+/- 0.6 percent) from the second quarter of 2023.

Manufacturing corporations' seasonally adjusted after-tax profits were $210.9 billion for the second quarter of 2024, up $7.8 (+/- 1.8) billion from the first quarter of 2024.

Seasonally adjusted after-tax profits for retail corporations with assets of $50 million and over were $49.9 billion for the second quarter 2024 (the 3 months ending July 31, 2024), up $17.1 (+/- 0.2) billion from first quarter 2024 (the 3 months ending April 30, 2024).

The homeownership rate of 65.6 percent was not statistically different from the rate in the second quarter 2023 (65.9 percent). The homeownership rates, compared to the second quarter 2023, were not statistically different in the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West.

The rental vacancy rate of 6.6 percent was higher than the rate in the second quarter 2023 (6.3 percent). Compared to second quarter 2023, the rental vacancy rate was higher in the Northeast and South, lower in the Midwest, and not statistically different in the West.