Economy

Autumn Boost Expected by Metalformers
Written by Sandy Williams
September 27, 2017
Autumn is expected to bring stronger economic activity and more work for metalforming companies, according to the latest survey by the Precision Metalforming Association.
“Metalforming companies are greeting fall with increased optimism,” said PMA President Roy Hardy. “Predictions from our industry reflect the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics report which showed growth through some 36,000 new manufacturing jobs created last month. More work requires more workers so metalformers and our supporters in government should redouble efforts to address the skills gap and provide training opportunities.”
Current daily shipping levels spiked in September, said the PMA. Forty-one percent of survey participants reported shipping levels as higher than three months ago, compared to just 28 percent in August.
Four percent of companies surveyed had workers on short time or layoff in September, compared to 3 percent in August, and 8 percent a year ago.

Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Economy

Housing starts ticked up in February
Single-family starts last month hit a rate of 1.10 million, a month-over-month increase of 11.4%, census data shows.

Architecture billings continued to slide in February
The ABI is a leading indicator for near-term nonresidential construction activity and projects business conditions ~9-12 months down the road (the typical lead time between architecture billings and construction spending).

New York state manufacturing activity tumbles in March
After a modest recovery in February, business activity in New York state’s manufacturing sector declined sharply in March, according to the latest Empire State Manufacturing Survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Steel, manufacturing, and union groups divided on S232 tariffs
Domestic steel trade associations, manufacturing groups, and the United Steelworkers (USW) union had mixed reactions to the implementation of new Section 232 tariffs without exclusions on Wednesday. Trade groups representing steel mills broadly supported President Trump’s actions, while the USW and some groups representing manufacturers were more critical. AISI Kevin Dempsey, president and CEO of […]

CRU: Will US tariff policy be transactional or transformational?
The Trump 1.0 tariffs appeared to have little positive effect on the US manufacturing, partly because they hurt export competitiveness.