Incomes Make Big Jump in January

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, January real disposable income was $11,737 billion real dollars (seasonally adjusted at an annual rate). The month-over-month rate of change in January increased by 2.8%. While this percent increase is still somewhat affected by the tax law changes in 2013 that pulled income into the last two months of 2012, this is the fastest rate of month-over-month growth in real disposable income since March 2011 (excluding November and December 2012, which were significantly affected by the tax law changes). While the annual rate of changes was cut in half in December, it grew at a faster rate in January. However, this is still the slowest rate of annual growth in real disposable income since November 2010.

Real personal income is one of the earliest leading indicators for the following end markets: aerospace; construction materials; custom processors; electronics, computers and telecommunications equipment; food and beverage processing; forming and fabricating (non-auto); hardware; HVAC; industrial motors, hydraulics and mechanical components; machinery and equipment manufacturing; metalcutting job shops; oil, gas field and mining machinery; power generation; primary metals; and printing.