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 […]
The Chicago Business Barometer dropped to its lowest level since the recession in March 2009. The April PMI plummeted 12.4 points to 35.4, said MNI Indicators. New orders and production recorded the steepest declines, falling 21 points and 19 points, respectively. The order backlogs index eased 7.4 percent after reporting gains in February and March. […]
The Chicago Business Barometer remained in contraction for the ninth month, declining 1.1 points in March to 47.8. New orders fell 7.9 percent while production slipped back into contraction. Order backlogs rose to their highest level since December 2019. “While some firms reported a rise in orders due to stockpiling by U.S. customers, others noted […]
The Chicago Business Barometer nearly emerged from contraction in February. The manufacturing index, produced by MNI Indicators, gained 6.1 points to post 49.0, the highest level since August 2019. The three-month average for the index edged up to 46.7. Production reached an eight-month high, gaining 8.3 points to register 51.0 after seven straight months below […]
The Chicago Business Barometer, a leading indicator of Midwest manufacturing, dropped to its lowest level since December 2014, said MNI Indicators. The PMI posted a reading of 42.9 in January following two months of gains. The three-month average dipped to 45.9. Any reading below 50 indicates contraction. New orders fell 6.1 points to 41.5 and […]
The Chicago Business Barometer remained in contraction with a reading below 50 in December, but rose 2.6 points to 48.9. An increase in production and supplier deliveries helped boost the PMI for the month, said MNI Indicators. The production PMI rose 4.9 points to 47.2 The index for supplier deliveries gained 5.1 points to register […]
The Chicago Business Barometer rose 3.1 points to 46.3 in November, but remained in contraction for the third consecutive month. All but one component of the general index remained below the neutral 50.0 mark. New orders rose 12.5 points to 49.9, indicating an improvement in demand. Production slipped to 42.3. Order backlogs rebounded from October’s […]
Manufacturing in the Midwest was weaker in August as slowing global trade continued to impact the region. The Chicago Business Barometer fell to 43.2 in October from 47.1 in September, further sinking into contraction and posting its lowest reading since December 2015. The three-month average fell to 46.9. New orders were at their lowest level […]
The Chicago Business Barometer dropped 3.3 points to 47.1 in September after seeing a brief rebound from contraction in August. The decline in the index released by ISM and MNI Indicators was lower than the 50+ reading expected by many economists. The September Chicago PMI, as the index is also known, marked the third contraction […]
The Chicago Business Barometer rose six points in August after two months of contraction. The Index posted a 50.4 last month, compared to 44.4 in July. MNI Indicators still sees an overall softening in business conditions despite the gains in August. The three-month moving average, a better indicator of conditions, fell to 48.2 Supplier deliveries […]
The Chicago Business Barometer recorded a second month in contraction, falling to 44.4 in July from 49.7 in June and the weakest third-quarter start since 2009. Production was at a 10-year low, falling 22 percent on the month. Further contraction of new orders indicated subdued demand resulting in trimming of workforce. The employment indicator was […]
The MNI Chicago Business Barometer gained 1.6 points in May to register 54.2. Survey responses showed softening in both manufacturing business activity and confidence. The three-month average for the Index slipped to a two-year low, said MNI Indicators. Production and new orders rose in May, but not enough to make up for weaker levels in […]
Business activity unexpectedly declined in the Chicago area, according to the latest MNI Chicago Business Barometer survey. The Barometer, a survey of purchasing and supply management professionals in the Chicago area, lost 6.1 points, falling to 52.6 in April and to its lowest level since January 2017. “This was a disappointing start to the second […]
A pullback in production and orders caused the Chicago Business Barometer to fall six points in March to a reading of 64.7. The barometer averaged 60.0 in the first quarter of 2019, a 3.5 percent drop from Q4 2018 and a decline of 3.3 percent compared to Q1 2018. “Although the barometer has comfortably remained above […]
The MNI Chicago Business Barometer gained 8 points in February, climbing to 64.7, its highest level since December 2017. The February spike in business activity followed a decline to 56.7 in January. New orders rose 15.2 points and production gained 8.5 points. Order backlogs lengthened after declining in January. Supplier delivery times declined for a […]
The Chicago Business Barometer plummeted in January, falling 7.1 points to 56.7 from December’s downwardly adjusted reading of 63.8. New orders and production contributed heavily to the decline as new orders dropped to a two-year low and production to a 10-month low. Order backlogs eased to a three-month low and delivery of raw materials improved […]