[tag=RB | word=averaged] □ □
[tag=RB | word=averaged] □ □ □
[tag=RB | word=averaged] □+ □
During the period of sawtooth injections the Dst index decreased slowly to nearly -150 nT over an approximately 20-hour period . In contrast , the salaries of General Schedule employees have declined by only 8 percent over the same period . While spending has been high because of a strong stock market , strong labor market , income gains , and consumer confidence , retail sales nationally for the month of June were up only 0.1 percent over the previous month . Turning to wages , the hourly wage rate for blue-collar production workers and non-managers in services is up 4.1 % over the past year , a growth rate ample enough to solidly surpass recent inflation readings that have been well below 2 % ( weekly earnings were up 4.4 % over the past year ) . Population growth remained very steady , averaging approximately 3 percent over both intervals . The Sun appears to be somewhat less active than many , if not most stars of the same age ; however , the Sun varies by only 0.1 percent over the solar cycle , a somewhat smaller amplitude than we can presently detect with confidence .