Current issue date
The Alberta Activity Index was updated on December 3, 2019 to include September 2019 data.
Alberta Activity Index
Activity stalls
- The Alberta Activity Index (AAX) ticked lower in September (-0.2% month-over-month).
- The monthly decrease was driven by declines in manufacturing, retail and new truck sales, which more than offset gains in other components.
- The AAX has eased since spiking in April as many indicators pulled back from recent peaks. Even so, activity remained up 2.0% from the February low.
- With activity moderating in the recent months, the index was down 0.9% year-to-date, primarily due to weakness in housing starts earlier in the year and a significant pullback in rigs drilling.
Chart: Year-over-year change in Alberta Activity Index and real GDP
(to September 2019)
Source: Alberta Treasury Board and Finance
Data table
The following file is available in the Open Government Portal:
- Alberta Activity Index Data Table (January 1981 to September 2019)
About the Alberta Activity Index
Developed by Alberta Treasury Board and Finance, the Alberta Activity Index (AAX) is a weighted average of 9 monthly indicators:
- employment
- average weekly earnings
- retail trade
- wholesale trade
- manufacturing shipments
- new truck sales
- housing starts
- rigs drilling
- oil production
For more information on the AAX, please see the Introducing the Alberta Activity Index inFocus from the April 2017 Economic Trends (PDF, 281 KB).
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Contact
Daniel Letcher, Economist
Alberta Treasury Board and Finance
Phone: 780-415-8845
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)
Email: daniel.letcher@gov.ab.ca