Higher tariffs are likely over the next few years. In our estimation, firms do not have the luxury to wait and see how the policy changes turn out. … READ MORE >
Jason Alexander
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 >
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 has been propped up by a robust … … 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. … READ MORE >
Latest ISM purchasing managers index signals potential recessionary territory for manufacturing sector
A key gauge of U.S. factory activity contracted in August for the first time in three years, as new orders continued to stall. Performance of the ISM purchasing managers index highlights the repercussions of trade uncertainty and slower growth outside of the U.S., with signs pointing to U.S. manufacturing entering a recession. … 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 ahead of the critical holiday selling season. … READ MORE >
Central banks brace for economic slowdown as manufacturing reflects contraction
As global central banks, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, prepare to proactively stave off an economic slowdown, we turn our attention to the primary rationale behind the push to alter monetary policy–the global economic downturn in manufacturing and its ripple effect on middle market suppliers. … 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. … 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. … READ MORE >
SCOTUS rejects challenge to administration’s steel tariffs
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a case seeking to overturn 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. … READ MORE >