The RSM Manufacturing Outlook Index is now tracking at 6.3 standard deviations below normal conditions, surpassing levels seen during Global Financial Crisis of 2007-08 and even the global debacle of the July 1980 “double dip” recession. This reading strongly suggests that the Institute of Supply Management’s Purchasing Managers Index—a closely watched gauge of manufacturing activity—will post a historical low of 36 in the time series when ISM releases its monthly report on May 1. … READ MORE >
Industrials
New April data suggests more pain ahead for U.S. industrial sector
Business activity declined dramatically in New York state in early April, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s monthly survey of manufacturers there. The general business conditions index in the Fed’s Empire State Manufacturing Survey, released Wednesday, reflected a steep decline in business activity in April to -78.2 … … READ MORE >
The perfect storm: Tough times ahead for the U.S. shale industry
Several factors pose challenges specifically for producers of U.S. shale, which has for years been a leader in the march toward energy independence for the country. … READ MORE >
Key manufacturing index indicates the industry contracted in March
A key gauge of U.S. factory activity dipped into contraction territory in March, new data released Wednesday shows. The Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing index dipped to 49.1 in March, from 50.1 a month earlier, and above the consensus of 44.5. A reading below 50 indicates contraction in the manufacturing sector, … … READ MORE >
Coronavirus supply chain disruptions expected to linger for manufacturers
Middle market businesses in the United States and the rest of the world have come to rely heavily on China, which exports more intermediate manufactured goods than any other country. The risk of economic disruption to this system increases the longer the coronavirus pandemic persists. Since the first confirmed case … … READ MORE >
Coronavirus pandemic hinders global automotive supply chains
With the recent passage of “phase one” of a trade agreement between the United States and China and the ratification of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), 2020 was supposed to be a transitional year for the global auto industry. Analysts had expectations that sales in the sector had bottomed out … … READ MORE >
March Federal Reserve data signals more challenges ahead for manufacturers
Survey data released this month from the Federal Reserve Bank’s New York and Philadelphia districts shows the greatest manufacturing index drop ever recorded in those regions for the month of March, with overall readings well below earlier estimates and in negative territory. The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond’s survey of … … READ MORE >
ISM manufacturing index declines in February
The Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing index — a key gauge of U.S. factory activity — dropped to 50.1 in February, from 50.9 a month earlier, and below the consensus of 50.5. … READ MORE >
As coronavirus spreads, so do risks to the global supply chain
As the potential for the coronavirus to become a pandemic looms, the outbreak is starting to affect the supply chains of critical industries across the globe. … READ MORE >
Key manufacturing index shows expansion in January, but may not be sustainable
The Institute for Supply Management on Monday said its purchasing managers’ index (PMI) increased to 50.9 in January against an expectation of 48.5, rising above 50 for the first time since July 2019, and from a four-year low of 47.8 in December. … READ MORE >