The outlook for manufacturing in the United States continues to improve, signaling a robust rebound as the post-pandemic economy takes shape. For the seventh consecutive month, the RSM US Manufacturing Outlook Index increased, showing above-normal sentiment. It’s more evidence that the U.S. manufacturing sector continues to lead the economy out of the ... READ MORE >
manufacturing
The impact of Brexit on U.S. manufacturing companies
While Britain voted to leave the EU in 2016 and companies had about four years to prepare for the change, there was not much clarity on what Brexit would mean for companies until Dec. 24, 2020, when the post-Brexit trade deal—the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement—was finalized. Plenty of questions remain about what the specific impacts of the deal will ... READ MORE >
U.S. industrial production growth continues
The Federal Reserve said on Wednesday that its index of industrial production, a measure of output at factories, mines and utilities, rose last month as output continued to recover from the depths of the economic shutdown last spring. Total production rose 0.9% in January, following an increase of 1.3% in December. The results were slightly above the ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Manufacturing remains strong despite labor, supply chain challenges
U.S. manufacturing activity remained robust in January but faced challenges on the labor and supply chain front, according to new data released Monday by the Institute for Supply Management. These challenges are limiting production and driving up prices. The ISM’s Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index – a key indicator of manufacturing activity – ... READ MORE >
RSM US Manufacturing Outlook Index: Mixed results and a potential pause in the recovery
Sentiment among American manufacturers has receded again because of the rapid spread of COVID-19 that has taken a toll on the labor market, consumer demand and the economy. Since bottoming out in April and then bouncing back by October, the RSM US Manufacturing Outlook Index is showing signs of retrenchment in some areas of the country. This implies ... READ MORE >
Economic recovery drives up raw material prices
Manufacturing activity during the pandemic tanked in April and May last year and has been inching toward recovery ever since. As manufacturing activity rebounds, companies are experiencing volatility not just in demand but also in raw material prices, which have been rising. Recovery in the automotive, construction and certain other manufacturing sectors ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Manufacturing upturn strongest since 2014
Driven in part by new orders, U.S. manufacturing output growth accelerated in January at the second-fastest rate in almost six years, according to the IHS Markit Flash U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index. The index posted a reading of 59.1 in the first half of January, up from 57.1 in December, and is at a series record high. This month’s ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: U.S. manufacturing activity finishes the year strong
U.S. manufacturing activity continued to expand in December, according to the Institute for Supply Management's Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index released on Tuesday. The index registered 60.7 in December, its eighth straight month of expansion, and 3.2 points above the 57.5 reading in November. December's reading was well ahead of economists’ ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: U.S. factory growth remains robust
The recovery in U.S. and global manufacturing activity continued through the end of 2020, even as new COVID-19 infections increased across the globe. U.S. manufacturing activity accelerated at its fastest pace in more than six years in December, according to the IHS Markit U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index released on Monday. The index posted ... READ MORE >
RSM US Manufacturing Outlook Index indicates tempered growth
The RSM US Manufacturing Outlook Index is starting to show cracks in the optimism of the past few months as the economy decelerates and the pandemic intensifies. We expect the November ISM Manufacturing index, to be released Tuesday, to show slower growth with a top-line reading near 58.0. All of the recent surveys of manufacturing sentiment ... READ MORE >