Economy

December PMA Report: No Change in Activity
Written by Sandy Williams
December 22, 2020
Metalforming firms are expecting business conditions and order activity to remain unchanged during the next three months, said the Precision Metalforming Association in its December 2020 Business Conditions Report.
“Metalforming manufacturers are showing resiliency during the COVID-19 pandemic, but finding workers continues to be a challenge despite the high unemployment rate,” said PMA President David Klotz. “In addition, members are experiencing supply chain problems that are causing low steel inventories as supply tightens.”
Average daily shipping levels declined in December, reported PMA firms. Fewer companies had a portion of their workforce on short time or layoff in December at 14 percent compared to 15 percent last month.
The Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) Business Conditions Report is prepared monthly from a sampling of 111 U.S. and Canadian metalforming companies and is considered an economic indicator for manufacturing.

Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Economy

Chicago Business Barometer falls back in April, remains in contraction
The Chicago Business Barometer declined in April, reversing March’s gains, according to Market News International (MNI) and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).

Fewer manufacturers optimistic about the economy
PMA’s April report shows that only 16% of surveyed manufacturers anticipate an increase in economic activity in the next three months (down from 23% in March)

Architecture billings continue to slide in March
Architecture firms said billings continued to decline in March, according to the latest Architecture Billings Index (ABI) released by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Deltek.

Beige Book shows concerns about trade policy
Manufacturing was mixed, but two-thirds of districts said activity was little changed or had declined.

New York state manufacturing index drops again in April
Firms were pessimistic, with the future general business conditions index falling to its second lowest reading in the more than 20-year history of the survey