The Chicago Business Barometer fell to a five-month low in October and continues to indicate deteriorating business conditions, according to Market News International (MNI) and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).
The Chicago Business Barometer increased marginally in September but continues to indicate deteriorating business conditions.
The Chicago Business Barometer edged up in August but remains in contraction territory, according to the latest release from Market News International (MNI) and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).
The Chicago Business Barometer contracted further in July, according to Market News International (MNI) and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).
The Chicago Business Barometer rebounded in June following May’s four-year low, according to Market News International (MNI) and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).
The Chicago Business Barometer tumbled lower in May, now at the lowest measure recorded since May 2020 according to Market News International (MNI) and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).
Hold-rolled (HR) prices held roughly steady this week after slipping for much of April. I don’t have any spicy quotes to offer about mostly flat prices. Besides, a lot of the questions I’ve gotten recently have been about demand. Some of you tell me that it’s still stable or improving. Others tell me that it’s suddenly dried up.
The Chicago Business Barometer slipped further in April, now at the lowest measure recorded since November 2022.
The Chicago Business Barometer slipped to a 10-month low in March, according to Market News International (MNI) and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). The March Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) reading eased 2.6 points to 41.4, marking the fourth consecutive month it has been in contracting territory.
Oct. 26 was my previous Steel Market Update contribution. The night before, Ford and the United Auto Workers (UAW) announced they had reached a tentative agreement for a new labor contract.
The Chicago Business Barometer edged up in August. This is the third consecutive monthly increase according to the latest indicators from Market News International (MNI) and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).
The Chicago Business Barometer stumbled in April after exceeding expectations the month prior, according to the latest indicators from Market News International (MNI) and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). The measure, also known as the Chicago PMI, has seen some extreme fluctuation in the early going of 2022. April’s decrease comes after the index […]
The Chicago Business Barometer showed a much bigger than expected increase in March after falling to an 18-month low the month prior, according to the latest indicators from Market News International (MNI) and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). MNI Indicators said the business barometer jumped to 62.9 in March from 56.3 in February and […]
The Chicago Business Barometer fell last month for the first time since last November, according to the latest indicators from Market News International (MNI) and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). February’s Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) reading was 56.3, down 8.9 points from January, as almost a quarter of the firms surveyed reported New Orders […]
The Chicago Business Barometer increased to 68.4 in October, according to MNI Indicators, following two consecutive months of decline. This is the fourth highest PMI level recorded in the last 10 years, following the May, July, and April 2021 highs. The October PMI is up 3.7 points from the month prior. MNI reports that order backlogs recovered more than […]
The Chicago Business Barometer declined to 66.8 in August, according to MNI Indicators, the fourth-highest pandemic-era reading. The August PMI is down 6.6 points from the month prior. MNI reports that order backlogs rose significantly in August, while production decreased. Firms say they are unable to keep up with new orders due to limited raw material availability […]
The Chicago Business Barometer rebounded in July to a reading of 73.4, the second highest pandemic-era level, according to MNI Indicators. The July PMI is up 7.3 points over the month prior. MNI reports that demand is strong, but firms remain concerned about supply chain disruptions and rising prices. Production rose ;8.8 points in July […]
The Chicago Business Barometer fell to a four-month low in June with a PMI reading of 66.1, according to MNI Indicators. The June PMI slipped 9.1 points from May. Through Q2, however, the index jumped by 7.9 points to 71.1, its highest quarterly reading since Q4 1973. Demand was not as robust as anticipated. Supplier […]
The Chicago Business Barometer reached its highest level since November 1973, coming in at 75.2 for May. New orders jumped 7.7 points, indicating strong demand in the region. Survey respondents noted that high consumer demand may be due in part to worries about raw material shortages. Production slowed by 2.3 points and order backlogs were […]
The Chicago Business Barometer reached its highest level since December 1983 with a PMI reading of 72.1, according to MNI Indicators. The April PMI rose 5.7 points from March, refuting economists’ expectations of a dip to 65. Demand was robust in April with the new orders index jumping 9.9 points to a near seven-year high. […]
The Chicago Business Barometer reached its highest level since July 2018, soaring to 66.3 in March from 59.5 in February, reports MNI indicators. For the first quarter of 2021, the index gained 4.4 points for a reading of 63.2, the best result since Q3 2018. The production index soared 10.1 points to 72.0 in March […]
The Chicago Business Barometer slipped 4.3 points to 59.5 in February, though still above a reading of 50 that indicates expansion, following a 2.5-year high in January. New orders plunged 11 points to their lowest level since August 2020. Production fell 9.3 points after two months of gains. Business activity at firms in the Chicago […]
Business activity accelerated in the Chicago area in January, says the latest analysis by MNI Indicators and the Institute for Supply Management. The Chicago Business Barometer jumped 5.1 points to 63.8, its highest level since July 2018. Production soared 9.9 points along with a 7.9-point surge in new orders. Order backlogs expanded for a third […]
The Chicago Business Barometer edged up 1.3 points in December to 59.5, reports MNI Indicators. The gain came as a welcome surprise as employment levels, although still in contraction, made notable improvement last month. The production index gained 1.1 points while demand slipped 2.0 points. Order backlogs grew for a second month, gaining 3.6 points. […]
The Chicago Business Barometer slipped 3.6 points to 58.2 in November for its lowest level since August. New orders fell 5 points and production 1.2 points. Orders remained below pre-crisis levels, but demand varied, with some companies reporting an uptick while others saw stagnant conditions, said MNI Indicators. The backlog index rose 0.9 points, remaining […]
The Chicago Business Barometer marked its fourth consecutive month of expansion with a PMI of 61.1 in October. The headline index eased slightly from last month’s reading of 62.4 with only new orders advancing during October, gaining just 0.2 points. The production index fell 5.9 points and backlogs eased to a two-month low. The inventories […]
Business activity in the Chicago area surged in September, expanding for the third month in a row. The MNI Chicago Business Barometer soared 11.2 points to 62.4, its highest level since December 2018. Business sentiment jumped sharply to 55.2, its best performance since Q1 2019. Production jumped 16 points, nearing a two-year high, while demand […]
A spike in business activity was recorded by the Chicago Business Barometer in July. The index rebounded from 12 months of contraction to a reading of 51.9. Increasing demand resulted in a vault of 23.8 points for the new orders index to its highest level since August 2019. Production soared 49.5 percent and back into […]
The Chicago Business Barometer rose to 36.6 in June as economic activity returned with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, said MNI Indicators.. The production index jumped 10.1 points from May as demand strengthened by 33.8 percent. Order backlogs were at a two-month high, gaining five points in June. Inventories plummeted 24.7 percent after emerging from […]
The Chicago Business Barometer dropped to 32.3 in May, indicating further pressure on the manufacturing sector due to the COVID-19 crisis. The barometer was at its lowest level since March 1982. After seeing a dramatic drop in demand during April, new orders fell 2.3 points in May. Production fell 6.3 percent putting the index at […]