South By North Strategies, Ltd.

Economic conditions remained weak across much of the nation in August, according to the newest State Coincident Indexes Report prepared by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

In August coincident indexes moved in a positive direction in 27 states and in a negative direction in 16 states. No changes occurred in seven states.

The map to the right, which is taken from the Reserve Bank’s survey, shows the three-month changes in coincident indicators by state. Positive numbers denote improvements in economic conditions, and negative numbers refer to declines.

Over the last three months, coincident indexes increased in 40 states, decreased in six states and held steady in four states.

During the same three-month period, North Carolina’s coincident index moved in a positive direction, which suggests improvements in local economic conditions.