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The Alberta Activity Index was updated on September 1, 2020 to include June 2020 data.

Alberta Activity Index

Activity rebounding from COVID-19 shock

The recovery from the COVID-19 shock gained momentum in Alberta.

The Alberta Activity Index (AAX) surged 3.4% month-over-month in June, the largest monthly gain on record.

The strong increase was led by the general business sector, where all indicators rebounded after posting lows in April and May. There were also solid gains in the household sector and the labour market. In contrast, the energy sector continued to languish.

With the monthly gain, the AAX remained down 9.6% from February, with 3 out of 9 indicators near or above their pre-COVID-19 levels.

Overall, the index fell 9.9% in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the first quarter. On a year-to-date basis, activity remained down 7.1%.

Chart: Year-over-year change in Alberta Activity Index and real GDP

(to June 2020)



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 June 2020)

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