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MONTHLY NOVEMBER 1949 CONTENTS Trade Goals for the Christmas Season 1 Some Implications of a Good Harvest . 6 National Business Conditions . . . 9 District Statistical Tables Keview . . . . . 10-11 FINANCE • INDUSTRY • AGRICULTURE • TRADE F O UR T H Vol. 31— No. 11 F E DE R A L RESERVE D I S TR I CT Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland Cleveland 1, Ohio Trade Goals for the Christmas Season volume of Fourth District store sales will rise next in re T HEtodollartraditional this month and department sponse the stimulus of Christmas buy ing. There is little chance, however, that the dollar volume of Christmas trade will equal last year’s large total. This does not mean that the prospects are necessarily poor. Rather it means that some measure other than the sales volume of last Christ mas may appropriately be used as an additional test. Seasonally adjusted sales indexes provide the means for such a test. Besides the regular index of monthly sales, a newly constructed index of weekly sales of Fourth District department stores may also be utilized. The latter is the same weekly index which, in a preliminary form, was used in an analysis of the seasonal influence of Easter buying, published in the March 1949 issue of this Review. Last Year as a Goal Last year’s Christmas volume is an unrealistic goal primarily because de partment store sales this year have settled to lower levels of dollar volume. The yearto-year percentage changes, published by the Fed eral Reserve System in accordance with traditional and widely understood methods of presenting the current sales picture, have been predominantly “ minus” figures this year, with the big questions centering about the size of the drop from last year. Moreover, last year’s Christmas is hardly a reasonable goal as a consequence of the effects of this fall’s industrial disputes which have dealt a temporary blow to factory payrolls, particularly in this District. Furthermore, at the outset of any consideration of trade goals it is necessary to note an important distinction between the way in which the manage ment of a particular department store may look at the record and the way in which the observer of general business trends is forced to view the sales trend. Thus, for example, a store manager is justi fiably pleased to find that for a given week or month, his sales are, say, only 9 percent below last year’s, while the average sales in his city or in the Fourth District are down 12 percent. From the general public standpoint however, the crucial question is whether the average 12 percent drop in the assumed instance is to be interpreted as unduly large, or as a year-to-year decline which is no more than should be expected under this year’s circumstances. September Level as a Test Consider the sales level of September 1949 as a starting point for judging performance during the coming Christmas season. In September, Fourth District department store sales, like those throughout the nation, showed substantial gains over August, allowing for usual seasonal changes. In this District the September pickup from a very poor August average was exceptionally strong. The September level here, however, was slightly below the average of the year to date, seasonal factors considered. The question then becomes: how will the Novem ber and December sales performance stack up against the September record after allowing for the normal rate of rise during the Christmas buying sea son? If the seasonally adjusted index of sales remains at least equal to that of September, it would prob ably be sound judgment to consider the Christmas trade season as successful, even though the level would be below last year’s. If, however, the adjusted level of Christmas sales should fall below the Sep tember performance, a poor season would be indi cated. Computed on a monthly basis, the use of Septem ber as a test would call for an adjusted index of Page 2 INDEX OF WEEKLY SALES Fourth District Department Stores, August, 1948—January, 1949, and August to date, 1949 Unadjusted for Seasonal Variation (1 93 5-39 =1 00) (1 9 3 5 -3 9 = 1 0 0 ) ....... 6005 .................~ 600% 500 ....................... / / / / 400 ' « i i t t • i i « i / ✓ 9 ' f / „ ( 300 1 1 1 1 1948, ______ _________ 500 \ l/ / 400 300 i i* 1 1949-^ 200 200 100 00 0 i 6 i 13 i i 20 27 AUG. i 3 i 10 i i 17 24 SEP. 1 1 8 1 I 1 __ 1 ___ 1 ___ 1 — J.. 15 22 29 12 19 26 O CT. NOV. i i 10 i i 17 2 4 D EC. 31 1 1 114 21 28 1 7 0 JA N . . . . weekly sales by Fourth District department stores, unadjusted for seasonal variation, showed a sharp rise during the latter part o f November and early December last year; a slight decline in the week just prior to Christmas was follow ed by a sharp post-Christmas drop; so far this year the unadjusted index has been trailing last year by a fairly consistent margin. TYPICAL PATTERN OF WEEKLY SALES IN THE CHRISTMAS SEASON Based on 1939-48 Experience o f Fourth District Department Stores (For weeks ending on each calendar day o f November and December) AVG. W E E K L Y S A L E S F O R Y E A R s s lO O * ^ AVG. W E E K L Y S A L E S FnR Y FA R « m n 9 i . . . the typical pattern o f weekly sales during November and December shows a moderate but per sistent rise during November; from about the second week o f December up to Christmas a very high level is maintained; the drop following Christmas is sharp. November 1, 1949 Monthly Business Review Page 3 INDEX OF WEEKLY SALES Fourth District Department Stores, August, 1948—January, 1949, and August to date, 1949 Adjusted for Seasonal Variation C I9 3 5 -3 9 = 100) (1935- 39 - I 0 0 ) . . . weekly sales after adjustment for the usual seasonal variations showed a fairly steady course last year, except for a hot-weather dip in late August and a slump in late October and early Novem ber; this year’s adjusted index so far has been trailing last year’s; an extension o f the September level is shown as a benchmark for this year’s Christmas season. Fourth District sales for November and December at 279 percent of sales during the base period (average of 1935 through 1949). If this level is maintained during each of the two months, it would mean November sales at 5 percent below last year’s November, and December sales at 7 percent below December of last year. It will be recalled that during last November sales hit a slump, while the December recovery was suf ficient to finish the Christmas season with a total which was considered moderately satisfactory. Sales during November and December last year, however, were relatively less satisfactory than in September of that year. This fact helps to explain why year-to-year drops of 5 percent and 7 percent respectively during November and December of this year would be tan tamount to maintaining the September 1949 level of adjusted sales, which in turn was 12 percent below year-ago September. The month of October, since it is not usually considered part of the Christmas season, is not considered here in detail. On the basis of the three-weeks data for October which is avail able at press time, however, it appears that Fourth District sales during October will fall short of the adjusted September level. W eekly The use of September sales as a test for Sales the Christmas season can be applied on a running week-to-week basis, provided the typical pattern of weekly sales during the Christmas season is taken into account. If it is known to what extent sales normally rise between the week ending December 3 and the week ending December 10, for example, it is possible to determine whether or not the actual sales at that time reach a level which is comparable to the average September level of this year, after allowing for the seasonal difference. Such a standard can be met, even though the percentage change from the corresponding week of 1948 is a minus percentage. Just how much of a year-to-year drop can be reconciled with a maintenance of the September level for a given week during the Christ mas season is the next problem to be solved. If such a relationship can be established, it will become much easier to interpret the percentage change figures (from a year ago) as they are publicized dur ing each of the weeks of the Christmas season. In this connection use can be made of the new weekly index of sales of Fourth District department stores, which has been constructed in the form of a seasonally adjusted weekly index as well as an un P age 4 Monthly Business Review November 1, 1949 INDEX OF WEEKLY SALES Fourth District Department Stores, August-December, 1948 and August, 1949 to Date. (Including year-to-year changes for October through December equivalent to maintaining September 1949 level o f adjusted sales). 1948 week Unadjusted Index(a) Adjusted Index 7 14 21 28 255 264 273 250 311 314 309 263 Aug. 6 13 20 27 216 207 236 243 266 247 269 262 — 15% — 22% -1 4 % - 3% 4 11(b) 18 25 315 320 331 317 301 314 319 297 Sept. 3 10(b) 17 24 288 289 295 276 273 283 281 268 — 9% -1 0 % -1 1 % -1 3 % Oct. 2 9 16 23 30 327 331 339 340 320 310 308 318 321 306 Oct. 1 8 15 22 29 291 273 269 260 287 252 250 245 -1 1 % — 18% -2 1 % -2 4 % Nov. 6 13 20 27(b) 299 346 367 415 261 281 294 300 Nov. 5 12 19 26(b) + - Dec. 4 11 18 25(b) 493 569 562 512 316 317 306 299 Dec. 3 10 17 24 — 13% -1 1 % — 9% +19% 244 319 Dec. 31(b) Aug. Jan. 1,’49(b) 1949 week Unadjusted Index Adjusted Index % Change From Year Aeo Actual(c) Needed(d) -1 4 % - 9% -1 2 % -1 3 % - 9% 4% 2% 4% 6% -1 2 % (a) Average daily sales basis; hence makes allowance for differences in number of trading days per week. (b) Short w eek: five trading days. (c) Actual comparison o f dollar sales; no allowance for differences in trading days. (d) Needed to maintain September 1949 level o f adjusted sales, as explained in text; percentages are year-to-year changes in dollar sales (unadjusted for seasonal variation or number of trading days) which would be equivalent to Septem ber 1949 average level o f sales index adjusted for seasonal variation and number of trading days. adjusted index.{1) It is based on a special study of weekly variations in Fourth District sales from 1939 to the present. It will be necessary to describe briefly what this index reveals before attempting to answer the question as to the implication of a Septembersales standard for weekly performance during the Christmas season. Unadjusted The first of the three accompanying Weekly Index charts shows the weekly index, un adjusted for seasonal variation. It covers the period from August 1 to the latest week of this year for which reports are available at the ( l ) T h e adjusted weekly index is now published regularly in the weekly news release on Fourth District department store sales. It will be included in the statistical summaries published in this Review, beginning with an early issue. See also “ Note on New Weekly Index” at the conclusion o f this article. time of writing; it also shows the unadjusted index for the corresponding weeks last year, as well as last year’s entire Christmas season and the post-Christmas letdown. The high peak of sales during the weeks ended December 11 and December 18 last year is apparent. Since the entire unadjusted series is based on average daily sales during the years 1935-39, the influence of holiday closings is removed from the chart. Thus, for example, the position of the curve for the weeks ended December 25, 1948 and Jan uary 1, 1949 would have been lower if allowance had not been made for the store closings during Christmas day and New Year’s Day. (Note also that the dates on the base line of the chart follow the 1949 calendar rather than the 1948 calendar. Thus the weeks ending December 24 and December 31 this year correspond to the weeks ended Decem ber 25 and January 1 last year.) November 1, 1949 Monthly Business Review Typical Weekly The second chart shows the typiPattern cal pattern of weekly sales during November and December as re vealed by a study of the 1939-48 experience in this District. Computations as shown in this chart pro vide the link between the unadjusted index shown in the first chart and the adjusted index shown in the third chart.(2) It will be noticed that the typical pattern shows the various sales levels for weeks end ing on any possible calendar day of November or December, with each week represented by a straight line equivalent in length to six days. The selection of the appropriate volume for any given week de pends on the calendar of the particular year which is under consideration. (The dates at the base of the chart apply to the week endings of the 1949 calendar.) The chart showing the typical pattern of weekly sales during the Christmas season indicates the rela tion of the earlier weeks of the season to the preChristmas climax and the drop after Christmas. Thus, for example, the rise during November is mod erate but persistent. From about the second week in December through Christmas a high plateau is reached, followed by a sharp drop in the week be tween Christmas and the New Year. Adjusted The third chart in the accompanying Weekly Index group shows the adjusted index of weekly sales for last year’s Christmas season in its entirety, and for this year’s sales from August to the present. The periods covered are the same as in the first chart, showing the unadjusted index. The weakness in sales during the latter part of October and the first part of November last year, which was characteristic of department store sales throughout the country as well as in this District, is revealed clearly by the curve of the adjusted index. It may also be seen that the final week of Christmas trade last year was not as satisfactory as some of the earlier weeks in December. "September Test" With the aid of the weekly infor Weekly Sales dexes described above it now becomes possible to consider what the maintenance of this year’s September sales level would mean in terms of weekly sales during the Christmas season. On the chart showing the adjusted index for last year and for this year to date, an extension of the September level has been indi cated by the dotted line. It can be readily seen that it will be entirely possible to maintain this year’s September rate throughout the Christmas season without reaching last year’s level of adjusted sales ( 2) For example, the “ normal” expectation o f sales for a week end ing December 18 is 183.6 percent of the average weekly sales o f any given year. For the actual week ended December 18, 1949, the unadjusted sales index was 562. (See table.) Dividing 562 by 183.6, and multiplying by 100, gives 306, which becomes the adjusted index for the week. P age 5 at any point except during the first week in Novem ber when last year’s sales were abnormally low. Failure to reach the necessary level for any week can, of course, be offset by performance in excess of the standard during any other week. How, then, can a prospective weekly announce ment of a given rate of decline from last year’s dollar sales be interpreted in the light of the standard here discussed? The answer can be seen from the final column of the accompanying table. If, for example, it should in the future be announced that for the week ended December 10, sales of Fourth District department stores were 8 percent below those of the corresponding week last year, it can be seen from the final column of the table that a year-to-year decline of 11 percent would have corresponded to maintenance of the adjusted September level, and hence the sales for the week in question were more favorable than the standard would call for. Or, to use an actual example, the September standard for the week ended October 22 could have been met by a sales level 13 percent below last year’s, whereas actually sales were 24 percent below last year, thus indicating an unfavorable performance for the week in terms of the test suggested here. It will be noticed that the final column of the table shows a target of “ plus 19 percent” (over last year) for the last week of Christmas trade. This comparison refers to the total dollar volume of a six-day week this year as matched against a five-day trading week last year, since Christmas this year falls on Sunday. The figure means that the six-day Christmas week this year should show a 19 percent increase in sales over last year’s five-day Christmas week in order to maintain the September level of sales adjusted for seasonal variation and number of trading days. Such a computation makes average daily sales the final basis of comparison, and is in accordance with standard practice even though it may be doubted whether six days of trade are always of proportionately larger volume than that of the shorter week. For the post-Christmas week, a five-day week is involved in both years; this year, because of the legal holiday on Monday, December 26, and last year, because of the holiday on Saturday, January 1. For that week, a sales performance 12 percent below last year’s would be sufficient to meet the Septem ber standard. NOTE ON NEW WEEKLY INDEX In constructing the adjusted weekly index discussed above, seasonal adjustment factors for weeks ending on each calendar day o f the year were computed from a ten-year series o f the unadjusted weekly index drawn from Fourth District department store records. The method used to obtain the adjustment factors was first described by Leroy M. Piser, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, in “ A Method o f Calculating Weekly Seasonal ( C O N T IN U E D O N P A S E 8) Monthly Business Review P age 6 , November 1 1949 Some Implications of a Good Harvest second several F OR thehave beensuccessive year excess ofmajor crops produced in the quantities consumers will buy at prevailing prices, maintained largely by governmental supports. To permit prices to drop to levels that would clear the market would result in operating losses for many farmers. Holding prices up, as required by law, entails perplexities of storing the surpluses and of ultimately disposing of them without wrecking the price support programs. Escape from this dilemma, posed on the one hand by statutory supports and on the other by the necessity for avoiding publiclyfinanced waste, involves a great extension of public control over farmers. The problem has been latent for years, but the concurrence of two especially good crop years and a period of declining demand has brought it to a crux. Last year the tonnage of crops harvested was the largest in history and this year it is the second largest. A part of the increase over earlier years is attribu table to propitious weather, but a considerable por tion also results from improved crop practices. These include the use of more fertilizers, insecticides, and weed-killing chemicals; the shift to improved varieties of crops; and mechanization, which allows farmers to make better use of brief periods of favorable weather. These developments have recently acceler ated in response to the incentive of strong demand in war and in postwar boom. PRODUCTION OF SELECTED CROPS United States, 1948 and 1949* 1938-47 = 100 1 9 3 8 -4 7 = 1 0 0 1 9 3 8 -4 7 -1 0 0 . . . the 1949 harvests o f six important crops ranged from 7 to 42 percent above average and accentuated the problem o f agricultural surpluses which emerged in 1948. Only potatoes fell noticeably below both 1948 and the ten-year average. • Indicated October 1. Wartime Supports Continued The original purpose of the present form of agricultural price supports was to induce high-level production of food and other agricultural staples during the war. The emergency legislation contained a pro vision for continuing the wartime supports two years after the official termination of hostilities. This ex tension into the postwar period was to prevent a recurrence of the violent breakdown of farm prices which followed World War I. According to its pro visions the emergency price supports would have ended automatically with the calendar year 1948 for some commodities, and with marketing of the 1948 crops of the “ basic commodities” . Two addi tional enactments, one in 1948 and one last month, further extended high-level price supports to the 1950 crops of basic commodities. For 1951 and subse quent years the prescribed minimums (except for tobacco) of agricultural price support are lower in relation to the general price level than heretofore. The basic commodities — com, wheat, cotton, tobacco, peanuts and rice— are subject to the most thorough provisions for permanent price support. The first four together account for about three-fifths of the national crop value. The major difficulty this year was in ade quately housing the enormous quantities of grain rolling in from the fields in addition to oldcrop carry-overs, which probably aggregated a size never attained before. Stocks of all grains carried over totaled about as big in 1942, but crops that year were much smaller than in 1949. Trouble started with the harvesting of last year’s huge crop of corn. The dropping of grain prices below sup port levels is attributed mainly to the fact that many farmers, unable to provide approved storage, could not avail themselves of price-support loans. The situation was recognized as critical when it became apparent that loans actually made would result in the transfer of unprecedented quantities of grain to Government ownership. The problem was met by the erection of new stor age facilities, conversion of nonstorage structures into granaries, lending to farmers who would expand their own space, and offering farmers a fee for hold ing their 1948 loan com another year. Yet, with many elevators, cribs and bins full, the storage prob lem is now in an acute stage. Storage Ultimate The next question is: what disposition Disposal can be made of the vast quantities of agricultural goods acquired by the Gov ernment in price-support operations? Legislative November 1, 1949 Monthly Business Review restrictions prohibit sale in the ordinary domestic markets at prices under the support level, but allow reduced prices on foreign sales and sales for other than primary uses. Highly perishable products, of which potatoes pro vide a current example, pose thorny problems. Earlier this year the Department of Agriculture re ported : The Government has found outlets at ex tremely low prices for the potatoes acquired in the price-support program. The 74,531,515 hun dredweight of 1948-crop potatoes purchased or diverted through May 2 have been converted or diverted to the following forms and outlets outside the usual food-trade channels: 36 percent to alcohol; 27 to livestock feed; 26 percent to potato flour and dehydrated potatoes; 5 to starch; 4 to direct distribution (school lunch and institutional use); and 2 percent to other uses or undetermined. Before the 1948-crop potato operations were com pleted, $225 million had been spent and only a small part recovered. Less difficulty is anticipated in supporting the price of the 1949 potato crop. The law allows a reduction of one-third in the price-support level and the imposition of acreage allotments. Both of these actions were taken and in consequence the harvested acreage was 10 percent lower than a year ago. De partment of Agriculture analysts estimate that ful filling the statutory requirements for the 1949 crop will require purchases of only about one-third the 1948 volume. Acreage As a practical matter, the price of an Allotments agricultural commodity can be sup ported over a period of years only by restricting the supply of that product. Current prob lems of “surpluses” are direct outgrowths of at tempts to control price without controlling supply. The machinery for controlling the supply of the basic commodities is in existence, however, under the provisions of prewar legislation. It was used exten sively until early in the war and has been in opera tion for tobacco for a number of years. It consists of acreage allotments and marketing quotas. The Secretary of Agriculture will probably find it neces sary now to apply one or both of these to each of the eligible crops which have not already received them. Acreage allotments constitute the milder of the two available forms of production control. If a farmer fails to stay within his allotment he sacrifices only his eligibility to receive price-support money. Even that can be a severe penalty— when the freemarket price is far below the support level. Two crops have acreage allotments without the additional sanction of marketing quotas and two others will probably be so controlled within a few Page 7 months. Potatoes are the only nonbasic commodity now subject to allotments. The 1950 plantings have been allotted for wheat also and will probably be allotted for rice and corn before their respective deadlines on December 31 and February 1. Wheat was reaped this year on more acres than ever before. The Government-underwr ritten price probably provided the incentive for most of the 7 percent increase over 1948. Allotments specify a 15 percent reduction for next year, but the effect on wheat production may be much less than this. Over plantings and good weather may result in a produc tion nearly as great as this year’s good crop. The 1949 corn crop is second in size only to last year’s record. The combined supply of old and new corn has never before been above 4 billion bushels, but this year it reached 4.3 billion. The Secretary of Agriculture is expected to call for an acreage re duction of about 12 percent. Marketing Quotas Marketing quotas, when used, are applied in addition to acreage allotments for the purpose of putting “ teeth” into the allotments. The quota is, in effect, the estimated production of the farmer’s allotted acreage, but it is subject to revision if his yield per acre appears to be above the anticipated rate. If a farmer under quota restrictions harvests more acres than his allot ment, he forfeits not only the right of benefiting directly from price supports but also some of the price actually received for his crop, since he is liable to a stiff fine on his over-quota marketings. Market ing quotas may be invoked only after approval by a two-thirds vote of the producers concerned. If they are rejected by the producers, price supports are sharply lowered or, in a few cases, withheld alto gether. Most types of tobacco have had marketing quotas in effect for about a decade. Producers of the flue-cured type voted a three-year extension this summer. This control on tobacco production has thus far been effective in preventing such an accumu lation of stocks as might embarrass the price-support program. It is made easier by the fact that each tobacco type is a strictly regional crop, allowing con trollers to deal with a large proportion of all farms within fairly small areas. Even so, tobacco control has its difficulties. A major one is that each acreage reduction tends to encourage farmers to grow more than ever on each remaining acre. Peanut growers approved quotas for three years beginning with the 1948 crop. Under the stringency of marketing quotas, planted acreage dropped by a fifth this year, cutting production to a point slightly below average. Production of com, the number one crop in eco nomic importance, has never been regulated by mar keting quotas, but a burdensome surplus has evoked Monthly Business Review P age 8 serious consideration of this device. Supplies may not be sufficiently large, however, to warrant its use for the 1950 crop. Meanwhile, the attempt to check output may be limited to the anticipated acreage allotments. It is questionable that either the acreage allot ment or the marketing quota technique can be very successful as a curb on com production. Only about one-fifth of the annual crop is sold; the remainder normally is fed to livestock on the same farms that raise it. Since corn is not primarily a cash crop, farmers who grow it are not greatly amenable to control exercised through the cash market. With holding of price support loans from those who exceed acreage allotments may not hold acreage down very much, and a penalty for over-quota marketings may not restrict production very much. Perhaps supple mentary control techniques will be developed for com. ( C O N T IN U E D F R O M November 1, 1949 Cotton will be subject to severe restraint on pro duction in 1950, whether or not the planters approve quotas in the referendum scheduled for December 15. They have the alternatives of accepting a 20 percent acreage reduction enforced by marketing quotas or of relinquishing high-level price supports. The importance of the supports and the probable decision of growers is indicated by the fact that the 1948 cotton loan program left the Government hold ing one-fourth of the crop, or over seven-tenths of total carry-over. Both the 1948 and 1949 crops were about a third larger than the 1938-47 average, and the unused supply before next year’s harvest is ex pected to total more than three-quarters of an aver age crop. It is unlikely that the forthcoming restrictions will be sufficient to reduce the supply of cotton to a manageable level by a year from now. Further reductions will probably be necessary then. P A G E 5) Indexes” , Journal of the American Statistical Association, September, 1932. It includes use o f already established monthly seasonals, entered against the week which in cludes the 15th of the month. Partly by interpolation, trend-cycle values are derived. Deviations from these values become the basis for a continuous series o f weekly seasonal factors. T he Piser method, which was first developed in a field other than department store statistics, makes no special allowance for the shifting date of Easter. T o fill in this gap, which is of great importance for department store data, a special method of allowing for the Easter influence on a weekly basis was devised by this Bank. The latter method is used in preparing the Fourth District weekly index o f department store sales for the weeks affected by the date of Easter, but it has no direct bearing on the analysis of the Christmas season presented in the fore going article. In using the weekly index o f Fourth District depart ment store sales as a supplement to the regular monthly index, the following caution should be kept in mind. A direct comparison o f the average o f four weekly indexes with the nearest corresponding monthly index will not always produce an identity o f results. This is for two reasons: first the calendar period covered by the four weeks will not correspond exactly with the monthly period. Second, the department stores which report in the weekly series are fewer than the stores in the monthly sample. Consequently, some discrepancies between the two series appear, in spite o f the fact that the monthly series has been used at certain stages o f the computation o f seasonal factors for the weekly series. T he degree of correspondence between the weekly and monthly indexes, however, is considered to be sufficient to justify use of the weekly index as a supplement to the regular monthly index. November 1, 1949 Page 9 Monthly Business Review SUMMARY OF NATIONAL BUSINESS CONDITIONS By the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Released for publication October 28, 1949) Industrial production and employment increased somewhat further in September but, as a result of industrial disputes, were curtailed sharply in Octo ber. Department store sales were below seasonal expectations from mid-September to the third week of October. Wholesale commodity price movements were mixed, with only a small decline in the average level. Construction activity continued at high levels. Stock prices advanced moderately and bond prices held firm. Industrial Production Production o f manufactures advanced further in September while output o f minerals declined 8 per cent. T he Board’s seasonally adjusted total index was 172 per cent of the 1935-39 average as com pared with 170 in August. T he index is expected to decline about 20 points in October largely as a result o f the steel strike. Activity in durable goods industries rose about 2 per cent in September, reflecting mainly increases in output o f consumers’ durable goods and of metal building materials and equipment. Activity in the machinery industries rose 4 per cent in Sep tember, after declining steadily over the preceding 8 months with a total reduction o f 22 per cent in that period. W ith work stoppages at most plants, steel production was curtailed to 9 per cent of capacity beginning October 1, compared with 83 per cent in September. Output of nondurable goods rose about 3 per cent further in September and was at the highest rate since February. Most o f the gain represented continued very large increases at textile and paper mills, in part reflecting seasonal influences. Cotton consumption expanded 14 per cent and September deliveries o f rayon to textile mills advanced to a new record rate. Paperboard output increased 10 per cent and was also at a new peak rate. Petro leum refinery activity increased somewhat further. Output o f most other nondurable goods was main tained in large volume. Minerals output has declined sharply since the middle of September mainly as a result o f work stoppages at most coal mines. Output o f iron ore declined more than seasonally in September and in October has dropped sharply as a result o f the steel labor dispute. Crude petroleum production, on the other hand, has advanced in September and early October. Construction Total value o f construction contracts awarded increased substantially in September reflecting largely a further sharp expansion in residential con tracts to a new record rate. Awards for public con struction declined seasonally, following a marked drop in August, but the value o f public work done has been maintained at a high level reflecting the large volume of awards earlier this year. Employment Employment in nonagricultural establishments increased somewhat more than seasonally from mid August to mid-September, but subsequently clined as a result o f work stoppages. de Distribution Department store sales did not show the usual seasonal increase from the middle o f September to the third week o f October. Value o f sales during the second half o f September was 8 per cent smaller than in the corresponding period a year ago and during the first three weeks of October sales were 13 per cent below a year ago. Department store sales had averaged about 6 per cent lower than last year during the first eight months. Shipments o f railroad revenue freight in the first half o f September continued at a level about 20 per cent below the same period a year ago. Since the middle o f September, however, freight carloadings have dropped sharply, mainly as a result of curtailed shipments o f coal, iron ore, and steel products, and in the week ending October 22 were 36 per cent smaller than in the corresponding week o f 1948. Commodity Prices T he general level of wholesale commodity prices decreased somewhat from mid-September to the third week o f October. Prices o f hogs and pork showed marked seasonal declines and reductions also occurred in some other farm products and foods. Cattle prices, however, advanced and coffee prices rose sharply. Imported materials generally were lower in the third week o f October than in midSeptember before many foreign currencies were de valued, while prices o f some domestic industrial products such as cotton goods and tires were higher. Bank C red it Business loans at banks in leading cities expanded in September and the first three weeks of October in response to a seasonal rise in credit demand. Loans to consumers and real estate owners and holdings o f U. S. Government and corporate and municipal securities also increased. Treasury deposits at Reserve Banks, which were large at the end o f September, were drawn down in the first three weeks of October, supplying banks with a substantial volume o f reserve funds. Federal Reserve holdings o f Government securities and member bank borrowings at Reserve Banks declined somewhat and member bank excess reserves increased moderately. Security Markets Common stock prices increased somewhat in the first three weeks o f October to a new high for the year. Prices o f Government securities and highgrade corporate bonds showed little change. The volume of new corporate security issues was small in September and October. P age 10 Monthly Business Review November 1, 1949 DEPARTMENT STORE TRADE STATISTICS Sales by Departments — September 1949 Department Store Inventories — Sept. 30, 1949 Percentage Changes from a Year Ago (Fourth District Reporting Stores) (Compiled October 27, and released for publication October 29) Percentage Changes from a Year Ago (Fourth District Reporting Stores) (Compiled October 28, and released for publication October 31) Coats and Suits (Women’s and Misses’ ) ................................................................. +11 Shoes (Women’s and Children’s ) ............................................................................. + 7 Costume Jewelry........................................................................................................ + 6 Millinery.............. ........................................................................................................ + 5 Juniors’ Coats, Suits and Dresses............................................................................ + 3 China and Glassware................................................................................................. + 2 Shoes (Men’s and B oys’ ) ........................................................................................... + 2 Books and Stationery................................................................................................ —0— Notions........................................................................................................................ —0— Corsets and Brassieres...............................................................................................— 1 Girls’ W ear.................................................................................................................. — 1 Woolen Dress G oods.................................................................................................. — 2 Luggage....................................................................................................................... — 3 Toilet Articles and Drug Sundries.......................................................................... — 3 Blouses, Skirts and Sportswear................................................................................— 3 Better Dresses (Women’s and Misses’ ) .................................................................. — 3 Art Needlework.......................................................................................................... — 4 Gift Shop..................................................................................................................... — 5 Silverware and Clocks...............................................................................................— 5 C andy........................................................................................................................... — 5 Men’s Clothing.................. ._....................................................................................... — 5 Silks, Velvets and Synthetics.................................................................................. — 6 Handbags and Small Leather G oods..................................................................... — 8 Fine Jewelry and W atches........................................................................................ — 7 Sporting Goods and Cameras.................................................................................. — 7 B oys’ W ear.................................................................................................................. — 8 Lamps and Shades..................................................................................................... — 8 Infants’ W ear............................................................................................................... — 8 Toys and Gam es........................................................................................................ — 9 Linens and Towels...................................................................................................... — 9 Inexpensive Dresses (Women’s and Misses’ ) ......................................................... — 9 Laces and Trimmings................................................................................................ — 10 Neckwear and Scarfs................................................................................................. — 10 Draperies, Curtains, etc.............................................................................................— 12 Underwear, Slips and Negligees.............................................................................. — 12 H ousew ares...............................................................................................................— 18 Men’s Furnishings and H ats..................................................................................... — 14 Handkerchiefs............................................................................................................. — 14 Furs............................................................................................................................... — 16 Aprons, Housedresses and Uniforms....................................................................... — 15 Gloves (Women’s and Children’s )...........................................................................— 16 Blankets and Comforters........... .; .......................................................................... — 17 Radios, Phonographs and Television..................................................................... — 18 Cotton Wash G oods...................................................................................................— 18 Furniture and Bedding.............................................................................................. — 19 Domestics, Muslins, Sheetings................................................................................ —20 Domestic Floor Coverings....................................................................................... —22 Records, Sheet Music and Pianos........................................................................... —25 H osiery....................................................................................................................... —26 Major Household Appliances....................................................................................—28 Radios, Phonographs and Television..................................................................... Toys and Gam es........................................................................................................ Millinery......... . ........................................................................................................... Books and Stationery................................................................................................ Neckwear and Scarfs................................................................................................. +52 +11 + 3 + 1 + 1 Art Needlework..........................................................................................................— 1 Shoes (Women’s and Children’s ) ............................................................................ — 3 Gloves (Women’s and Children’s ).......................................................................... — 3 Blouses, Skirts and Sportswear............................................................................... — 4 Infants’ W ear............................................................................................................... — 4 Draperies, Curtains, e tc............................................................................................ — 5 Notions........................................................................................................................ — 5 Girls’ W ear.......................................................... ........................................................ — 6 Candy...........................................................................................................................— 6 H osiery........................................................................................................................ — 6 Handbags and Small Leather G oods.....................................................................— 7 Gift Shop.....................................................................................................................— 7 China and Glassware................................................................................................ — 7 Lamps and Shades..................................................................................................... — 7 Toilet Articles and Drug Sundries.......................................................................... — 9 Corsets and Brassieres.............................................................................................. — 9 Costume Jewelry........................................................................................................—10 Shoes (Men’s and B o y s ').......................................................................................... — 10 B oys’ W ear.................................................................................................................. — 10 Blankets and Comforters.......................................................................................... —10 Furs...............................................................................................................................— 10 Men’s Furnishings and H ats.....................................................................................— 11 Housewares................................................................................................................ — 11 Aprons, Housedresses and Uniforms.......................................................................— 11 Men’s Clothing............................................................................................................—11 Luggage........................................................................................................................ — 13 Woolen Dress Goods..................................................................................................— 13 Handkerchiefs.............................................................................................................— 14 Linens and Towels......................................................................................................— 15 Sporting Goods and Cameras.................................................................................. —15 Silverware and Clocks...............................................................................................—15 Fine Jewelry and W atches........................................................................................ — 16 Underwear, Slips and Negligees............................................................................. — 17 Inexpensive Dresses (Women’s and Misses’ ) ......................................................... — 17 Furniture and Bedding.............................................................................................. — 17 Domestics, Muslins and Sheetings.......................................................................... — 19 Better Dresses (Women’s and Misses’ ) .................................................................. —20 Records, Sheet Music and Pianos............................................................................—20 Coats and Suits (Women’s and Misses’ ) ................................................................ —20 Silks, Velvets and Synthetics.................................................................................. —23 Cotton Wash G oods.................................................................................................. —24 Laces and Trimmings................................................................................................—25 Juniors’ Coats, Suits and Dresses............................................................................—26 Domestic Floor Coverings....................................................................................... —28 Major Household Appliances.................................................................................... —35 G ROU P TO TA LS Miscellaneous Merchandise Departments.............................................................. — 5 Small Wares................................................................................................................ — 7 B ASE M E N T STO R E T O T A L ............................................................................ —10 Men’s and B oys’ W ear............................................................................................... —11 G R A N D T O T A L (reporting stores)..................................................................... — 11 W omen’s Apparel and Accessories...........................................................................— 11 M A IN STORE T O T A L ......................................................................................... — 12 Housefurnishings........................................................................................................ — 16 Piece Goods and Household Textiles..................................................................... — 17 Sales b y Fourth District department stores during September increased more than seasonally from August and reached the highest point since last June. Most de partments remained below year ago levels, although the margin of difference was smaller, in general, than it was in August. Leading the increases from August were many items in the women's apparel and accessories group. Sales of women’s and misses’ coats and suits were 20% below last year and hosiery sales were 6% below last year, but both of these departments, when seasonal variations are taken into account, showed sharp increases from August levels. Moderate month-to-month gains on a seasonally adjusted basis were scored b y women’s and misses’ dresses and b y women’s and children’s shoes. Sales of accessories generally lagged somewhat behind sales of apparel. Sales in the men’s and b oy's wear group were 11% below a year ago, the largest year-to-year drop since early last spring. As in the women’s wear group, sales of clothing fared better than sales of accessories. Sales of men’ s clothing increased more than seasonally from August, while the September increase in sales of men’s furnishings and hats was slightly less than normal. In each of these two depart ments sales were 11% below a year ago. In the housefurnishings group, sales of radios, phonographs and television con tinued their recent spurt, with September sales well above August and 52% above September 1948. In most of the departments in this group, however, September proved to be a month of slow sales. Sales of furniture and bedding dropped more than seasonally from the customary August peak for that department, and were 17% below a year ago, the lowest point since January 1946 on a seasonally adjusted basis. Sales of major household appliances, down 35% from a year ago, and sales of domestic floor coverings, down 28%. failed to show the usual September rise. Sales of piece goods and household textiles as a group were 17% below a year ago. Piece goods, however, showed a slight rise from August, while sales of house hold textiles (linens, domestics, blankets) were down sharply from the previous month. All comparisons refer to dollar volume without adjustment for price changes. G ROU P TOTALS Small Wares................................................................................................................ — 2 BASE M EN T STORE T O T A L .............................................................................— 2 Women’s Apparel and Accessories...........................................................................— 4 Miscellaneous Merchandise Dept’s .......................................................................... — 8 Men’s and Boys’ W ear............................................................................................... — 8 G R A N D T O T A L (reporting stores)..................................................................... — 8 M A IN STORE T O T A L ........................................................................................ — 9 Piece Goods and Household Textiles..................................................................... —12 Housefurnishings........................................................................................................ — 16 Inventories of Fourth District department stores rose more than seasonally during September. Especially in apparel lines, restocking occurred along with improved sales during the month. The seasonally adjusted gain in inventories for all departments averaged 6% during the month, marking the first substantial rise since last November. At month end, however, stocks were still 8% below year-ago levels. Inventories in a number of important departments failed to rise during the month, and for 19 in dividual departments the month-end levels of stocks were 10% or more below those of a year ago. Substantial additions were made to stocks in the women s apparel and acces sories group, and at the close of the month inventories in these departments aver aged only 4% below a year ago. For example, stocks of women's and misses’ coats and suits, where September sales showed marked improvement over previously reduced levels, were 12% above a year ago at the end of the month. Stocks of dresses, where September sales were also favorable, were up sharply from the previous month, but nevertheless were 5% below a year ago at month end. Stocks of women’s and children’s shoes rose moderately during a month of good sales, and closed 7% above a year ago. All other departments in the women’s wear group showed at least some increase in stocks during the month. However, certain de partments like hosiery, where stocks were down 26% from a year ago, reported large year-to-year declines mainly because of previous depletions or because of drops in prices from the year-ago period. Inventories of men’s and boys’ wear rose normally for the month, and closed 8% below year-ago levels. Stock increases were evenly distributed among the depart ments in this group. The year-to-year comparisons varied from an increase of 2% for men’s and boys’ shoes to a decrease of 14% for men’ s furnishings and hats. Stocks in the housefurnishings group showed a small average rise during Septem ber and closed the month 16% below year-ago levels. Inventories of major house hold appliances and of radios, phonographs and television showed practically no change during the month, and at the end of September were 28% and 18% respec tively below a year ago. Stocks of china and glassware also showed no change dur ing the month, but nevertheless closed 2% above a year ago. In all other depart ments of the housefurnishings group, stocks rose moderately during September but at month end were substantially below year-ago levels. All comparisons refer to dollar value of inventory at retail, without adjustment for price changes. Monthly Business Review November 1, 1949 Page 11 FINANCIAL AND OTHER BUSINESS STATISTICS Time Deposits at 58 Banks in 12 Fourth District C ities Bank Debits*— September 1949 in 31 Fourth D istrict C ities (Compiled October 17, and released for publication October 18) C ity and Number of Banks Tim e Deposits Sept. 28, 1949 Average W eekly Change During: Sept. Aug. Sept. 1949 1949 1948 Toledo (4 )................... Columbus (3 )............. Youngstown (3 )......... . Dayton (3).................. 102,522,000 82,969,000 63,459,000 45,440,000 Canton (5 )................... . Erie (4)........................ Wheeling (5 )............... . Lexington (5).............. 42,455,000 40,223,000 27,639,000 10,721,000 -1! 72,000 + 167,000 95,000 — 97,000 _ 241,000 + 14,000 83,000 — 76,000 _ 86,000 + 9,000 8,000 + 8,000 T O T A L — 12 Cities. .$2,051,050,000 —$560,000 Cleveland (4 )............. Pittsburgh (11).......... Cincinnati (8 )............. Akron (3 ).................... .$ . . . 890,979,000 460,455,000 181,750,000 102,438,000 (In thousands of dollars) (Compiled October 11, and released for publication October 13) -$ + — + — — — _ + — — 855,000 40,000 152,000 98,000 86,000 29,000 96,000 77,000 56,000 11,000 24,000 4,000 - $ 1 ,254,000 + 41,000 $ + 1,624,000 + 259,000 — 30,000 + 104,000 + 124,000 + 87,000 — 89,000 + 42,000 + 26,000 42,000 + 4,000 — +$2 ,150,000 Tim e deposits at 58 leading banks in the Fourth District declined 0.1 percent during September, marking the sixth consecutive month of decline. The over-all decline since the end of March is equivalent to about 0.8 percent. Although the sum involved is almost negligible in comparison with total balances, it nevertheless represents the longest sustained decline in the postwar period. In terms of actual dollars, the reductions at the combined 58 banks ran at a rate of <560,000 per week during September, as against an expansion of $2,150,000 per week a year earlier. Individual Cities In Cleveland, Youngstown, and Canton, the trend was downward, as against a net increase during the same period in 1948, and in each city time deposits declined to a new low for the year. In Pittsburgh and Columbus, the September increase was substantially smaller than last year. In Cincinnati and Toledo, tim e deposits declined in contrast to gains during September of last year. The contraction in tim e deposits in Akron was larger during the past month than a year ago. 25 Fourth District Member Banks (Compiled October 20, and released for publication October 21) — 1.8% — 1.7 — 18.9 +21.9% + 0 .7 +16.2 — 8.4 — 6.5 +33.7 — 17.4 +23.8 +13.6 +88.0 +27.2 Type of Credit Outstanding at End of M o. Compared W ith M o. Ago Y r. Ago Total consumer instalment credit____+1.6% Personal instalment cash loans.............—2.0 Repair and modernization loans...........+1.8 Direct retail instalment loans (a) Automobile....................................+ 2.0 (b) Other...............................................—0.5 Retail instalment paper purchased (a) Autom obile....................................+ 3.8 (b) Other...............................................+4.8 +19.8% — 0.2 +20.3 +38.8 — 10.3 % Change from Year Ago 3 Months % Change Ended from Sept. 1949 Year Ago 191 A L L 31 C E N T E R S $6,657,429 10 L A R G E S T C E N T E R S : 5 ,. .Ohio $ 218,251 5 104,405 16 859.329 10 1,692,328 7 547,539 4 217,823 6 317,795 4 Youngstown............. 157,744 6 . Penna. 83,816 51 .Penna. 1,856,748 $19,934,050 - - 3.7% — 13.5 — 5.2 — 12.0 + 1.2 — 4.2 — 12.7 + 1.8 — 7.6 — 11.7 $ — 2.8% — 17.1 — 6.8 — 6.9 — 2.3 — 7.2 — 9.8 — 9.1 — 10.6 — 5.7 113 - $18,162,593 - - 5.3% — 17.2 — 14.1 — 2.0 + 0.5 — 13.4 — 11.5 — 7.1 — 14.5 — 2.6 — 16.6 — 0.5 — 4.7 — 13.8 — 10.6 — 16.3 — 18.4 — 8.1 — 11.4 — 15.6 + 8.8 $ - 8.8% — 14.4 — 19.4 — 5.6 — 2.9 —13.8 — 9.5 — 8.3 — 14.9 — 4.2 — 14.1 — 7.5 — 7.3 — 17.5 — 8.3 — 12.7 — 19.7 — 3.4 — 13.2 — 12.8 + 1.2 - $ 1,771,457 T O T A L ............................. $6,055,778 21 O T H E R C E N T E R S : 9 Co vington- Newport .. ..K y . $ « Lexington................. .. .K y . 3 3 2 L im a......................... ... Ohio 5 4 2 M iddletow n............ . . . Ohio 3 Portsmouth............ .. . Ohio 3 4 Steubenville............... .Ohio 2 Warren...................... 3 3 Butler...................... . Penna. 1 Franklin.................. . Penna. 2 Greensburg............. . Penna. 4 . Penna. 3 M eadville................ . Penna. 4 Oil C ity ................... . Penna. 5 . Penna. 6 Wheeling................. .W. Va. 78 T O T A L ................ 36,992 51,997 16,603 38,249 41,125 17,527 38,829 31,267 18,922 44,001 20,475 36,782 25,741 29,575 6,551 18,973 9,975 11,011 18,433 24,139 64,484 $ 601,651 - 8.9% 9.0% 7.7% 662,345 298,766 2,467,206 5,166,849 1,668,829 641,084 995,114 436,409 248,651 5,577,340 109,094 152,584 49,296 110,957 129,344 51,322 110,435 90,638 55,260 132,913 62,755 105,142 75,066 84,174 19,453 58,887 28,006 33,958 53,547 75,096 183,530 - 6.7% 6.4% 9.2% ♦Debits to all deposit accounts except interbank balances. TEN LARGEST CENTERS Although third quarter debits were smaller than last year in each of the ten cities the net declines were less than 3% in Akron and Columbus. In Youngstown ac well as Columbus debits last month were larger than in September 1948. TWENTY-ONE SMALLER CENTERS Among the smaller localities, only Wheeling shows a gain (1.2%) over the third quarter of 1948. In Lima and Meadville, however, the year-to-year decline wa* less than 4%. Indexes of Department Store Sales and Stocks +66.2 +17.4 During the month of September the amount of new consumer instalment loans made b y 25 Fourth District m ember banks was off slightly from the preceding (and longer) month, but in the aggregate was 21.9 percent larger than in the same month last year. Purchases of retail instalment paper, particularly automobile paper ran sub stantially ahead of a year ago. Direct automobile loans bulked 33.7 percent larger than a year ago, and new loans for repair and modernization purposes exceeded those of last year b y 16.2 percent. The volume of personal instalment cash loans, however, was very little larger this September than last, and loan volume on consumer durables other than auto mobiles was 17.4 percent below a year ago. The amount of such loans outstanding at the end of September was below that of the comparable date last year. The rate of repayment on all classes of consumer instalment loans combined was slightly higher than in the corresponding month of 1948. During the month collec tions were approximately 12 percent of the amount outstanding at the end of the preceding month. Sept. 1949 _Debits to deposit accounts (other than interbank accounts) in 31 Fourth District cities totaled $6,657,000,000 during September, or 8.9% less than in the same month of 1948. In view of the fact that deposit balances owned b y individuals and corporations were actually slightly larger on September 30 than a year earlier, it is clear that the rate of turnover has slowed down perceptibly in recent months. For the third quarter as a whole, debits were 6.7% below a year ago. The yearto-year drop was 6.4% in the larger cities, and 9.2% in the smaller localities. For six months or longer, the trend toward reduced debit totals has been more pronounced in the smaller cities than in the large centers, although in both areas, deposits are essentially unchanged from a year ago. Changes in Consumer Instalment C re d it September 1949 New LoansM ade Compared W ith M o. Ago Y r. Ago N o. of Reporting Banks Daily Average for 1935-1939 = 100 Adjusted for_ W ithout Seasonal Variation Seasonal Adjustment Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. Aug. Sept. 1948 1949 1949 1949 1949 1948 SALES: Akron-(6)................... Canton (5).................. Cincinnati (8)............ Cleveland (10)........... Columbus (5)............ Erie (3 )...................... Pittsburgh (8)........... Springfield (3)........... Toledo (6).................. Wheeling (6).............. Youngstown (3)........ District (96).............. STOCKS: D istrict...................... r—R evised. ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... 282 343 296 260 331 311 264 292 302 250 320 279 281 305 298 248 327 291 259 282 279 223 297 269 334r 415r 336 287 378r 335 299 309 323 283r 376 316 285 350 299 260 331 308 262 286 299 255 317 282 239 268 248 218 274 242 220 234 235 179 258 234 337 423 340 287 378 332 296 303 319 289 372 320 ....... 242 229 266r 264 242 290 TOLEDO CLEVELAND AKRON • CANTON • • COLUMBUS CINCINNATI LEXINGTON KY. • iy o u n g s t o W n I f! ★ /PITTSBURGH OHIO DAYTON p A f V^HEELING W. VA. Fourth Federal ReserveDistrict U MAIN OFFICE ★ BRANCH OFFICES