The consumer confidence index as reported by the Conference Board rose strongly in January and the December results were revised upwards. The composite rose from 93.1 to 102.9, the view of the present situation rose from 99.9 to 102.6 as expectations rose from 88.5 to 96.4. This was the first time for the composite to […]
The ISM Manufacturing Index retreated again in December. The Institute of Supply Management released their December report on January 2nd and after the October surprise on the upside, the index slid back once again from 59.0 to 58.7 in November and to 55.5 in December, however this is still equal to the average for the […]
The Consumer Confidence Index as reported by the Conference Board rose in December and the November results were revised upwards. The composite rose from 91.0 to 92.6, the view of the present situation rose from 93.7 to 98.6 as expectations fell from 89.3 to 88.5. The three month moving averages (3MMA) of the composite and […]
The Institute of Supply Management released their November report on December 2nd and after the October surprise on the upside, the index slid back slightly from 59.0 to 58.7. However, this is still the third best result of the year. Any number >50 indicates expansion and this was the eighteenth straight month for which this […]
The consumer confidence index as reported by the Conference Board declined in November and the October results were revised downwards. The composite fell from 94.1 to 88.7, the view of the present situation declined from 94.4 to 91.3 as expectations fell from 93.8 to 87.0. The three month moving averages (3MMA) also declined. The 3MMA […]
If we start with the premise that the consumer is almost 70 percent of GDP and that steel consumption is closely correlated with GDP, then consumer behavior and, in particular, debt is very relevant to our future businesses. Consumer spending is driven by income and both the perception of current debt and willingness to take […]
The Institute of Supply Management released their October report on November 2nd and the report surprised analysts on the upside. The October purchasing managers index, PMI registered 59.0 up from the 56.6 reading in September and equal to the August result. Any number >50 indicates expansion and this was the seventeenth straight month in which […]
The Institute of Supply Management released their October report on November 2nd and the report surprised analysts on the upside. The October purchasing managers index, PMI registered 59.0 up from the 56.6 reading in September and equal to the August result. Any number >50 indicates expansion and this was the seventeenth straight month in which […]
The consumer confidence index as reported by the Conference Board bounced back in October and the dismal September results were revised upwards. The composite rose from 89.0 (first reported as 86.0) to 94.9, the view of the present situation rose from 93.0 (first reported as 89.4) to 93.7 as expectations rose from 86.4 (first reported […]
The Consumer Confidence Index as reported by the Conference Board declined sharply in September, particularly in the expectations component. The composite fell from 93.4 to 86.0, the view of the present situation fell from 93.9 to 89.4 as expectations declined from 93.1 to 83.7. In closer examination, it looks as though the August view of […]
Industrial production (IP) and manufacturing capacity utilization for August 2014: Both of these data points are reported in the Federal Reserve G17 data base. The IP index was reported as 104.12 for August, a decline of 0.1 percent from July. This is another example where the individual month’s result can be misleading. The three month […]
General Electric is selling its GE Appliance business to AB Electrolux of Sweden for $3.3 billion. Electrolux, the parent company of US brands Electrolux and Frigadaire, expects the sale to generate annual cost synergies of approximately $300 million and enhance its position as a global player in home appliances. “The acquisition, which is our largest […]
The Consumer Confidence Index as reported by the Conference Board increased by 2.1 in August to 92.4. The view of the Present Situation rose by 6.7 to 94.6 as Expectations declined by 1.0 to 90. These two components have now crossed, as they always do at this stage of a recovery, and the view of […]
Each month the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) puts out its series of Producer Price Indexes (PPI) for thousands of goods and materials. The latest release on Friday reported July results. These statistics are a useful way to evaluate any changes in the competitive position of steel against competing materials and rail vs truck transportation. […]
The July ISM Report on Business indicates that activity in the manufacturing sector increased last month. The July PMI rose 1.8 percent to 57.1 for the highest reading since April 2011 and the 14th consecutive monthly increase. A PMI reading in excess of 43.2 percent, over a period of time, also indicates an expansion of […]
The consumer confidence index increased by 4.5 in June to 90.9. The view of the present situation rose by 2.0 to 88.3 as expectations rose by 6.3 to 92.7, these two components have now converged as they always do at this stage of a recovery after which the view of the present situation will take […]
The Institute of Supply Management released their June report on July 1st. The June PMI registered 55.3 percent, down slightly from 55.4 percent in May. Any number > 50 indicates expansion and this was the thirteenth straight month for which this was the case. The three month moving average (3MMA) advanced for the third consecutive […]
The Institute of Supply Management released their June report on July 1st. The June PMI registered 55.3 percent, down slightly from 55.4 percent in May. Any number > 50 indicates expansion and this was the thirteenth straight month for which this was the case. The three month moving average (3MMA) advanced for the third consecutive […]
Each month the Bureau of Labor Statistics, (BLS) puts out its series of producer price indexes, for thousands of goods and materials. The latest release on Friday reported May results. These statistics are a useful way to evaluate any changes in the competitive position of steel against competing materials and this month for the first […]
The consumer confidence index increased by 1.3 in May. The view of the present situation rose by 1.9 as expectations rose by 0.9. These two components are converging, as they always do at this stage of a recovery, after which the view of the present situation will take the lead. On the whole consumer confidence […]
The Institute of Supply Management released their April report on May 1st. The April PMI registered 54.9 percent up from 53.7 percent in March. Any number >50 indicates expansion and this was the eleventh straight month for which this was the case. The three month moving average (3MMA), which had declined for the last three […]
General Electric reported today that the beginning of 2014 is off to a good start. Profits from its industrial segment rose 12 percent to $3.3 billion in the first quarter of 2014. Double digit growth was seen in five of its nine growth regions. Infrastructure orders were valued at $23.7 billion, flat with the same […]
The Institute of Supply Management report was issued today by Bradley J. Holcomb, CPSM, CPSD, chair of the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Manufacturing Business Survey Committee. “The March PMI registered 53.7 percent, an increase of 0.5 percentage point from February’s reading of 53.2 percent, indicating expansion in manufacturing for the 10th consecutive month. The […]
Each month the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) puts out its series of producer price indexes for thousands of goods and materials. The latest release on Friday reported February results. These statistics are a useful way to evaluate any changes in the competitive position of steel against competing materials. See below for the official description […]
Both the expectations and the view of the present situation improved in the mind of consumers in January according to the latest Conference Board analysis. We thought it would be interesting to take a longer term view this month because our past analyses have been somewhat overshadowed by the surging confidence of the late 1990s. […]
The Eurozone is expected to have mild yet fragile growth throughout 2014 according to the EUROFER Q1-2014 Economic and Steel Market Outlook compiled by the EUROFER Economic Committee (EC). Indicators are pointing towards increased growth for industrial production, an important component for carbon flat rolled steel production in Europe. GDP has been edging up since […]
Each month the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts out its series of producer price indexes (PPI), for thousands of goods and materials. The latest release on Wednesday reported December results. These statistics are a useful way to evaluate any changes in the competitive position of steel against competing materials. See below for the official description […]
U.S. industrial production jumped 1.1 percent in November after inching up a revised 0.1 percent in October, according to information released by the Federal Reserve Board on Dec. 16. Manufacturing output increased 0.6 percent for its fourth consecutive monthly gain. Utilities saw a surge of 3.9 percent as winter weather boosted demand for heating. Automobile […]
The recent resurgence of the steel industry in Japan has resulted in a scrap shortage in the Far East, despite lackluster finished steel sales. Japan’s resurgence is a partial result of Abenomics due to the weakening yen (currently at 101). Automobile sales, appliances and public infrastructure spending/reconstruction has resulted in very healthy steel demand in […]
The Institute of Supply Management Purchasing Managers Index, (PMI) registered 56.2 percent in September, an increase of 0.5 percentage point from the August reading. The 3MMA (three month moving average) of the index was 55.7 in September, the highest in over two years and continued to distance itself from the 50 threshold that marks the […]