CHEMICAL ACTIVITY BAROMETER ROSE 0.1% IN MARCH, ACC SAYS

The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB), a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), rose 0.1 percent in March on a three month moving average (3MMA) basis, the first gain in five months. On a year-over-year (Y/Y) basis, the barometer is down 0.3 percent (3MMA). The unadjusted measure of the CAB rose 0.3 percent in March following six months of shrinking activity. It declined 0.1 percent in February and had a flat reading in January. The diffusion index rebounded to 65 percent in March, up from 57 percent in February, ACC says. A year earlier, it was 71 percent. The diffusion index marks the number of positive contributors relative to the total number of indicators monitored.