Economy
Chicago Business Barometer Slips in April
Written by Sandy Williams
April 30, 2016
The Chicago Business Barometer, or Chicago PMI, dropped 3.2 points to 50.4 in April indicating a slow start to the second quarter. New orders and order backlogs both fell sharply during the month.
Inventories, which have been relatively stable in the past few months, increased to their highest point since October 2015 but were still in contraction overall.
Production picked up slightly while the supplier deliveries index increased sharply to its highest level since October 2014. Higher oil and raw material prices led to a jump in prices paid in April.
The employment index moved downward into contraction.
Chief Economist of MNI Indicators Philip Uglow said, “This was a disappointing start to the second quarter, with the Barometer barely above the neutral 50 mark in April. Against a backdrop of softer domestic demand and the slowdown abroad, panelists are now more worried about the impact a rate hike might have on business than they were at the same time last year.”
In the special question section, panelists were more concerned or uncertain about federal rate hikes than they were in April of 2015.
Below is a graph showing the history of the Chicago Business Barometer. You will need to view the graph on our website to use it’s interactive features, you can do so by clicking here. If you need assistance with either logging in or navigating the website, please contact our office at 800-432-3475 or info@SteelMarketUpdate.com.
Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Economy
Industry groups praise Senate for passing tax and budget bill
The Steel Manufacturers Association and the American Iron and Steel Institute applauded the tax provisions included in the Senate's tax and budget reconciliation bill.
Chicago PMI dips 0.1 points in June
The Chicago Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) slipped 0.1 points to 40.4 points, in June.
Multi-family pullback drives housing starts to 5-year low in May
US housing starts tumbled in May to a five-year low, according to figures recently released by the US Census Bureau.
Architecture firms still struggling, ABI data shows
Architecture firms reported a modest improvement in billings through May, yet business conditions remained soft, according to the latest Architecture Billings Index (ABI) release from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Deltek.
Manufacturing in New York state contracts again
However, companies are growing more optimistic about the future.