A swift drop in oil demand from China and the oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia have led to a global crude surplus. The oil industry in the United States faces tough times ahead as the coronavirus pandemic continues to inject uncertainty into oil markets, and shale producers especially are ... READ MORE >
Jason Alexander
Continued warnings or signs of bottoming out for industrial production and manufacturing
The Conference Board’s Leading Economic Indicator moved slightly lower in December, continuing a downward trend that began in the last months of 2018. Movement of the leading indicator has traditionally coincided with trends with industrial-sector activity. In this current cycle, the leading indicator ... READ MORE >
US manufacturing activity hits 10-year low point
Contraction in U.S. manufacturing is continuing, with activity reaching a ten-year low in September, as economic and political uncertainty weigh on the industrial sector. According to the latest Institute for Supply Management report, manufacturing reached its lowest point since June 2009 after a ... READ MORE >
Latest ISM purchasing managers index signals potential recessionary territory for manufacturing sector
The Institute for Supply Management purchasing managers index—a key gauge of U.S. factory activity—dropped to 49.1 in August, from 51.2 a month earlier, hinting at the potential onset of an industrial recession. The index was pulled lower by slowing global growth due to continued economic uncertainty over ... READ MORE >
Administration delays tariffs on some Chinese goods ahead of holidays
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on Tuesday issued a notice stating that an additional planned 10% tariff set to take effect on Sept. 1 on many imports from China will be delayed on some of those products until Dec. 15. The move was expected to provide relief to U.S. retailers and consumers ... READ MORE >
Central banks brace for economic slowdown as manufacturing reflects contraction
A slowing global economy and declining bond yields across the developed world—some negative—portend a deteriorating business climate ahead. To combat this broad slowdown, global central banks are shifting monetary policy toward more accommodative stances that include real negative rates, nominal negative ... READ MORE >
Demand for manufacturing workers remains robust, despite May’s decline in U.S. job openings
Manufacturing positions in the United States are among the hardest to fill as the labor market remains tight, a key government report released on Tuesday shows. The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey from the Department of Labor shows that manufacturing sector vacancies rose to a record 509,000 in ... READ MORE >
Factory orders stall in latest Institute for Supply Management Index
The Institute for Supply Management index—a key gauge of U.S. factory activity—dropped to 51.7 in June, from 52.1 a month earlier, pulled lower primarily by economic uncertainty over trade issues. The index posted its third straight monthly decline and the weakest level since October 2016. The ISM’s ... READ MORE >
SCOTUS rejects challenge to administration’s steel tariffs
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a case seeking to deny the administration's power to impose more than $4 billion in steel tariffs, turning away an appeal that challenged its use of national security as the legal justification for the United States' trade agenda. The appeal, led by a ... READ MORE >
Philadelphia Fed’s manufacturing gauge weakens sharply in June
A key index of manufacturing activity tracked by The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia's monthly survey of manufacturers fell sharply to 0.3 in June from 16.6 a month earlier, well below the consensus of 10.4. It was the index's lowest reading since February, when it hit zero. Any reading above zero ... READ MORE >