OPINION

Forecasts For Week of Week of December 15

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Here are my forecasts for upcoming economic data.
ForecastPrior Observation
Week of December 15
December 15
NY Fed Manufacturing Index12.010.1612.0
Industrial Production - November0.7%-0.10.7
Capacity Utilization79.478.979.4
Manufacturing0.2
NAHB Index585859
December 16
Housing Starts - November1.030M1.0091.038
Building Permits1.0401.0921.08
PMI Services Flash Index54.754.755.5
December 17
Consumer Price Index - November-0.1%0.0-0.1
Core CPI0.10.20.1
Energy
Current Account - Q3-$95.0-98.5-96.3
FMOC
December 18
Initial Unemployment Claims295K295295
PMI Services Flash Index56.356.357.3
Philadelphia Fed Survey22.040.825.0
Leading Indicators - Nobember0.4%0.90.6
Week of December 22
December 225.260M5.2605.25
Existing Home Sales - November
Chicago Fed National Activity Index - November0.250.14
December 23
Durable Goods Sales - November1.1%0.31.3
GDP - Q3 (f)4.0%3.94.0
GDP Implicit Price Deflator1.41.41.4
Personal Income - November 0.6%0.20.5
Personal Spending0.50.20.5
PCE Price Index-0.10.1
Core PCE Price Index0.10.2
FHFA Housing Price Index- Oct0.3%0.0
Michigan Consumer Sentiment - December (r)93.093.8
New Home Sales - November 458K458472
Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index64Peter Morici is a professor at the University of Maryland Smith School of Business, former Chief Economist at the U.S. International Trade Commission, and five-time winner of the MarketWatch best forecaster award.