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 2026-08-01
Last Updated 2026-08-24 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 13.1895742416381840
2018-05-01 10.3004293441772460
2018-06-01 0.9803190231323242
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 -8.6679582595825200
2019-02-01 -13.4831457138061520
2019-03-01 -7.8287720680236820
2019-04-01 -5.3997645378112790
2019-05-01 -7.0038914680480960
2019-06-01 -12.5505218505859380
2019-07-01 -22.4001121520996100
2019-08-01 -37.2093009948730500
2019-09-01 -28.8546180725097660
2019-10-01 -22.1358795166015620
2019-11-01 -16.6051654815673830
2019-12-01 -19.3208618164062500
2020-01-01 -17.2172679901123050
2020-02-01 -9.8765430450439450
2020-03-01 -66.0447769165039000
2020-04-01 -51.8933563232421900
2020-05-01 -21.1676311492919920
2020-06-01 -11.5802516937255860
2020-07-01 -7.7801485061645510
2020-08-01 14.7298507690429690
2020-09-01 19.9116325378417970
2020-10-01 18.3678741455078120
2020-11-01 13.3666725158691400
2020-12-01 10.7644214630126950
2021-01-01 10.9965057373046880
2021-02-01 12.5843944549560550
2021-03-01 26.8055686950683600
2021-04-01 33.3907279968261700
2021-05-01 39.0201416015625000
2021-06-01 39.9063339233398440
2021-07-01 29.1486320495605470
2021-08-01 22.7409172058105470
2021-09-01 19.6455345153808600
2021-10-01 22.1992778778076170
2021-11-01 32.0948104858398440
2021-12-01 18.6123027801513670
2022-01-01 9.7855358123779300
2022-02-01 6.9925575256347660
2022-03-01 -0.6382192969322205
2022-04-01 6.8538827896118160
2022-05-01 8.3693904876708980
2022-06-01 -3.2727274894714355
2022-07-01 -8.9692087173461910
2022-08-01 4.8890776634216310
2022-09-01 6.3105273246765140
2022-10-01 -6.4267463684082030
2022-11-01 -12.0200519561767580
2022-12-01 -11.2033195495605470
2023-01-01 0.0000000000000000
2023-02-01 0.0000000000000000
2023-03-01 -6.9767441749572750
2023-04-01 -18.3908042907714840
2023-05-01 -11.4503812789917000
2023-06-01 -9.0225563049316400
2023-07-01 -9.1603050231933600
2023-08-01 -1.1673152446746826
2023-09-01 -6.9498066902160645
2023-10-01 -2.4193549156188965
2023-11-01 -10.1694917678833000
2023-12-01 -17.2566356658935550
2024-01-01 6.5217394828796390
2024-02-01 0.0000000000000000
2024-03-01 5.4054055213928220
2024-04-01 2.9702968597412110
2024-05-01 -21.0000000000000000
2024-06-01 -1.5306122303009033
2024-07-01 -18.8405799865722660
2024-08-01 -33.0143547058105500
2024-09-01 -16.6666660308837900
2024-10-01 -24.7572822570800780
2024-11-01 -27.9792728424072270
2024-12-01 -7.7720203399658200
2025-01-01 -4.6391754150390625
2025-02-01 -18.5714282989501950
2025-03-01 -31.1320762634277340
2025-04-01 -28.0373821258544920
2025-05-01 -27.0142173767089840
2025-06-01 -17.6470584869384770
2025-07-01 -19.5979900360107420
2025-08-01 -33.1578941345214840
2025-09-01 -23.3160610198974600
2025-10-01 -13.5678386688232420
2025-11-01 -24.8780479431152340
2025-12-01 -10.9375000000000000
2026-01-01 -22.2222213745117200
2026-02-01 -27.7173919677734380
2026-03-01 -9.2307691574096680
2026-04-01 4.7872338294982910
2026-05-01 -12.9729728698730470
2026-06-01 -1.7543859481811523
2026-07-01 -12.4260358810424800
2026-08-01 -11.2149534225463870

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