Table Data - Chicago Fed Survey of Economic Conditions: Capital Spending Expectations in the next 12 Months in Federal Reserve District 7: Chicago

Title Chicago Fed Survey of Economic Conditions: Capital Spending Expectations in the next 12 Months in Federal Reserve District 7: Chicago
Series ID CFSBCCAPXEXP
Source Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Release Chicago Fed Survey of Economic Conditions
Seasonal Adjustment Not Seasonally Adjusted
Frequency Monthly
Units Index
Date Range 2013-02-01 to 2026-05-01
Last Updated 2026-05-25 9:04 AM CDT
Notes What is the Survey of Economic Conditions?
Contacts located in the Seventh Federal Reserve District are asked to rate various aspects of economic conditions along a seven-point scale ranging from "large increase" to "large decrease." A series of diffusion indexes summarizing the distribution of responses is then calculated.

How are the indexes constructed?
Respondents' answers on the seven-point scale are assigned a numeric value ranging from +3 to –3. Each diffusion index is calculated as the difference between the number of respondents with answers above their respective average responses and the number of respondents with answers below their respective average responses, divided by the total number of respondents. The index is then multiplied by 100 so that it ranges from +100 to −100 and will be +100 if every respondent provides an above-average answer and –100 if every respondent provides a below-average answer. Respondents with no prior history of responses are excluded from the calculation.

What do the numbers mean?
Respondents' respective average answers to a question can be interpreted as representing their historical trends, or long-run averages. Thus, zero index values indicate, on balance, average growth (or a neutral outlook) for activity, hiring, capital spending, and cost pressures. Positive index values indicate above-average growth (or an optimistic outlook) on balance, and negative values indicate below-average growth (or a pessimistic outlook) on balance.

Beginning with the May 12, 2020 release, the CFSEC moved to a monthly release schedule. This release, with data for April 2020, now contains estimated monthly historical values for the CFSEC indexes, as will all future releases. For additional information on how the survey and indexes changed, see the CFSEC FAQs available here.

Prior to April 2022, the Chicago Fed Survey of Economic Conditions was named the Chicago Fed Survey of Business Conditions (CFSBC). The name change was made to better represent the survey’s aim and base of respondents. The goal of the survey is to assess the state of the economy in the Seventh Federal Reserve District. Moreover, since the beginning of the survey, it was been filled out by both business and nonbusiness contacts.
DATE VALUE
2013-02-01 10.1265821456909180
2013-03-01 6.8909492492675780
2013-04-01 -10.6737432479858400
2013-05-01 -42.1052627563476560
2013-06-01 -24.0978698730468750
2013-07-01 -14.4782323837280270
2013-08-01 -12.6050415039062500
2013-09-01 -5.8092799186706540
2013-10-01 1.5084722042083740
2013-11-01 9.8360652923583980
2013-12-01 8.8560228347778320
2014-01-01 7.3422846794128420
2014-02-01 5.2941174507141110
2014-03-01 -5.1831836700439450
2014-04-01 -4.3540248870849610
2014-05-01 9.2783508300781250
2014-06-01 1.9385926723480225
2014-07-01 4.5176630020141600
2014-08-01 17.1875000000000000
2014-09-01 19.0828800201416000
2014-10-01 24.6875000000000000
2014-11-01 34.3750000000000000
2014-12-01 26.7041721343994140
2015-01-01 22.4075298309326170
2015-02-01 21.9827575683593750
2015-03-01 11.8272457122802730
2015-04-01 9.3595762252807620
2015-05-01 16.0305347442626950
2015-06-01 18.4305419921875000
2015-07-01 19.2667942047119140
2015-08-01 18.5950412750244140
2015-09-01 -11.7006349563598630
2015-10-01 -17.3806037902832030
2015-11-01 1.1764706373214722
2015-12-01 -2.2894437313079834
2016-01-01 -4.5890860557556150
2016-02-01 -5.5214724540710450
2016-03-01 0.8716094493865967
2016-04-01 3.8499825000762940
2016-05-01 2.7522935867309570
2016-06-01 -10.9178724288940430
2016-07-01 -11.4935626983642580
2016-08-01 0.9868420958518982
2016-09-01 9.2010564804077150
2016-10-01 4.3741116523742680
2016-11-01 -13.8157892227172850
2016-12-01 -8.0772676467895500
2017-01-01 1.1243138313293457
2017-02-01 13.8157892227172850
2017-03-01 14.0840158462524410
2017-04-01 9.4915246963500980
2017-05-01 0.0000000000000000
2017-06-01 2.1207053661346436
2017-07-01 -2.6423628330230713
2017-08-01 -14.6067419052124020
2017-09-01 -3.2710096836090090
2017-10-01 5.8887362480163570
2017-11-01 13.4831457138061520
2017-12-01 22.9881954193115230
2018-01-01 25.6549777984619140
2018-02-01 20.6896553039550780
2018-03-01 16.8361492156982420
2018-04-01 12.7603893280029300
2018-05-01 9.0128755569458000
2018-06-01 0.5604645013809204
2018-07-01 5.2049007415771480
2018-08-01 23.2558135986328120
2018-09-01 7.5834174156188965
2018-10-01 -1.4386188983917236
2018-11-01 -4.4117646217346190
2018-12-01 -5.6680235862731930
2019-01-01 -9.0343484878540040
2019-02-01 -14.6067419052124020
2019-03-01 -8.2373523712158200
2019-04-01 -5.7888693809509280
2019-05-01 -8.1712064743042000
2019-06-01 -13.7209100723266600
2019-07-01 -23.5690250396728500
2019-08-01 -38.3720932006835940
2019-09-01 -29.2337894439697270
2019-10-01 -22.1358795166015620
2019-11-01 -16.6051654815673830
2019-12-01 -19.3208618164062500
2020-01-01 -17.6198444366455080
2020-02-01 -11.1111106872558600
2020-03-01 -66.0447769165039000
2020-04-01 -52.3772277832031250
2020-05-01 -21.6671085357666000
2020-06-01 -12.0181589126586910
2020-07-01 -9.0189285278320310
2020-08-01 13.5171623229980470
2020-09-01 19.0958919525146500
2020-10-01 17.4321384429931640
2020-11-01 12.8581981658935550
2020-12-01 10.3387289047241210
2021-01-01 10.1594228744506840
2021-02-01 11.7283935546875000
2021-03-01 25.8510646820068360
2021-04-01 32.8907279968261700
2021-05-01 38.5178527832031250
2021-06-01 39.3873062133789060
2021-07-01 28.6245841979980470
2021-08-01 21.6597690582275400
2021-09-01 19.1059646606445300
2021-10-01 22.1992778778076170
2021-11-01 32.0948104858398440
2021-12-01 18.0246047973632800
2022-01-01 8.5461635589599610
2022-02-01 6.4048538208007810
2022-03-01 -1.2008599042892456
2022-04-01 6.2724876403808590
2022-05-01 7.8415312767028810
2022-06-01 -4.3636369705200195
2022-07-01 -9.5322580337524410
2022-08-01 4.8890776634216310
2022-09-01 5.7508258819580080
2022-10-01 -7.0045027732849120
2022-11-01 -12.6176614761352540
2022-12-01 -11.2033195495605470
2023-01-01 -1.2145748138427734
2023-02-01 0.0000000000000000
2023-03-01 -8.1395349502563480
2023-04-01 -19.5402297973632800
2023-05-01 -12.5954198837280270
2023-06-01 -10.1503763198852540
2023-07-01 -9.1603050231933600
2023-08-01 -2.3346304893493652
2023-09-01 -8.1081075668334960
2023-10-01 -2.4193549156188965
2023-11-01 -11.4406785964965820
2023-12-01 -17.2566356658935550
2024-01-01 5.2173914909362790
2024-02-01 -1.2931034564971924
2024-03-01 4.0540542602539060
2024-04-01 1.4851484298706055
2024-05-01 -21.0000000000000000
2024-06-01 -3.0612244606018066
2024-07-01 -20.2898559570312500
2024-08-01 -34.4497604370117200
2024-09-01 -18.0555553436279300
2024-10-01 -26.2135925292968750
2024-11-01 -29.5336780548095700
2024-12-01 -7.7720203399658200
2025-01-01 -4.6391754150390625
2025-02-01 -18.5714282989501950
2025-03-01 -31.1320762634277340
2025-04-01 -29.4392509460449220
2025-05-01 -25.5924167633056640
2025-06-01 -17.6470584869384770
2025-07-01 -21.1055259704589840
2025-08-01 -31.5789470672607420
2025-09-01 -23.3160610198974600
2025-10-01 -15.0753765106201170
2025-11-01 -23.4146327972412100
2025-12-01 -10.9375000000000000
2026-01-01 -22.2222213745117200
2026-02-01 -26.3736267089843750
2026-03-01 -9.3264245986938480
2026-04-01 8.1081075668334960
2026-05-01 -9.8360652923583980

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