September 1999 Retail sales trended upward in the first half of the year, increasing 6 percent above last year's level.
Housing starts are off to their fastest pace in over ten years .
The U.S. Department of Commerce reported that there were permits issued for 24,676 residential units in Illinois during the first half of the year. June added over 5,000 permits, resulting in a very active building month. IDES noted that Services, Construction and Finance-Insurance and Real Estate each posted new job records and led payroll gains spread across most industry sectors. Despite the generally dry summer, agricultural crops are expected to yield close to last year's output . Overall production was sustained by slightly more acres being farmed and an increase in the number of plants per acre.