The MNI Chicago Business Barometer gained 5.1 points in May, jumping to 62.7 and its highest level since January. Output and orders drove the increase for manufacturers, although all five Barometer components rose this month. The production index was at a three-month high and new orders at a four-month high. The backlog index was at […]
The Chicago Business Barometer broke its three-month downward trend, inching up 0.2 points to 57.6. Production output picked up during the month, although new orders continued to decline. Both were below year-ago levels. Supplier delivery times lengthened, and steel was mentioned by respondents as difficult to source. The index was up almost 20 percent and […]
The Chicago Business Barometer dropped to a one-year low in March. The indicator of U.S. economic activity slid 4.5 points to register 57.4. While a reading above 50 still indicates growth, three of the five components of the barometer declined. The production index was at its lowest level since October, and the new orders index […]
The MNI Chicago Business Barometer fell in February to its lowest level since August 2017. The barometer slipped 3.8 points from January’s reading to 61.9. Compared to a year ago, the index was up 8 percent and was above the 2017 average of 60.8 New orders were at a six-month low and production was at […]
The Chicago Business Barometer retreated 2.1 points in January to 65.7, but remained an encouraging start for 2018. The barometer was 28.3 percent higher than the January 2016 reading and above the average of 63.7 in the second half of 2017. New orders and output slowed in January. Orders were at a five-month low accompanied […]
The MNI Chicago Business Barometer reached a six-and-a-half year high in December. The Barometer rose to 67.6 from 63.9 in November. The indicator also had its best quarterly performance since Q1 2011, rising to 65.9 in the fourth quarter from 61.0 in the third. Production hit a 34-year high in December, while new orders were […]
The Chicago Business Barometer retreated 2.3 points in November to 63.9, its lowest level in three months. Any number above 50, however, is an indicator of growth. The decrease followed October’s six-and-a-half year high, and economists expect the Barometer to finish the year continuing its 21 straight months of expansion. Output was robust in November, […]
The Chicago Business Barometer hit a six-and-a-half year high in October, rising to 66.2 from 65.2 in September. Demand and output jumped during the month. New orders rose to their highest level since June, and production increased to its highest reading since August 2014. Longer backlogs were attributed to the hurricanes and healthy demand. Backlogs […]
A sharp rise in the September Chicago Business Barometer indicates a strong fourth quarter for manufacturing. The Barometer rose to 65.2 from 58.9 in August for its second highest level in more than three years. The average reading for the third quarter was a solid 61.0, steady with the second quarter’s three-year high of 61.1. […]
The MNI Chicago Business Barometer was unchanged in August at 58.9 after a July plunge that ended five months of increases. Slight gains in production and orders were offset by declines in backlogs, employment and supplier deliveries. The inventory loss was significant, dropping the index 6.4 points to end in contraction and the lowest reading […]
The Chicago Business Barometer dropped nearly 7 points in July, falling to 58.9 from 65.7 in June and ending a run of five consecutive increases. All components of the indicator receded, but remained above 12-month averages. The July Barometer “should be viewed in the context of the underlying, upward trend in business sentiment witnessed since […]
The Chicago Business Barometer took a giant leap in June, expanding from 59.4 in May to 65.7. The Barometer, which is designed to predict future changes in gross domestic product, was at its highest level since 2014. The average score for second quarter was 61.1, significantly stronger than the average of 55.1 in Q1. The […]
The Chicago Business Barometer hits its highest level since January, increasing from 58.3 in April to a reading of 59.5 in May. New orders fell 4.5 points to 61.4 but production gained 3.7 points for an index reading of 62.3. Order backlogs pulled from contraction after five months of decline. Delivery times for inputs lengthened […]
The Chicago Business Barometer in April reached its highest level since January 2015, posting a score of 58.3 from 57.7 in March. Growing demand for manufactured products pushed new orders up 5.5 points to a near three-year high. The production index in April was at another high level although receding slightly to 59.5 from 61.7. […]
The MNI Chicago Business Barometer only moved up slightly in March after a surge in points in February. The March reading was 57.7, up from 57.4. Increases were reported in new order and production with indexes reaching 4 and 14 month highs, respectively. Order backlogs increased for the third month but were still below the […]
The February Chicago Business Barometer reached its highest reading since January 2016. The Barometer rose 7.1 points to 57.4 buoyed by optimism and gains in new orders and production. Four of the five components of the Barometer increased in February. New orders rose 10.1 points after slipping below the 50 neutral mark in January. Production […]
The Chicago Business Barometer lost 3.6 points in January, registering 50.3 from a revised 53.9 in December. The Barometer was at its lowest level since May 2016, after a strong fourth quarter averaging 54.3, said MNI Indicators. New orders fell by 7.8 points dipping into contraction and dragging down the composite index. Production fell 2.3 […]
The Chicago Business Barometer fell 3 points in December to register 54.6. The Barometer has averaged 54.3 during fourth quarter, the highest in two years, and suggests that economic conditions have improved somewhat, said MNI Indicators. The index for New Orders lost 6.7 points giving up the gains it made in November that pushed the […]
The November Chicago Business Barometer, or Chicago PMI as it is also known, leapt 7 points from October to register 57.6. The reading was the highest since January 2015 with four of the five components of the index showing improvement. On a three month moving average the index increased two points to 54.1. New orders […]
Economic activity in October lost some of the momentum gained in third quarter, according to the latest survey by MNI Indicators. The Chicago Business Barometer fell 3.6 points to a five month low of 50.6 in October. The three month moving average was at 52.1, down from 53.8 in September. Production dropped 5.4 points from […]
The September Chicago Business Barometer indicated that production was at its highest level since January of this year. The Barometer rose 2.7 points to 54.2 on strong gains in production. The production index jumped 7.3 points to 59.8 while new orders remained unchanged from August. Backlogs remained below the neutral point of 50. Supplier deliveries […]
Business activity fell in the Chicago area in August. The MNI Chicago Business Barometer, or Chicago PMI as commonly called, dropped 4.3 points to register 51.5. The decline was steeper than expected by economists. “Economic activity slowed down into the summer, suggesting June’s momentum was only a temporary revival in activity. Overall, it wasn’t a […]
The Chicago Business Barometer lost one point in July to register 55.8 after a year and a half high of 56.8 in June, according to MNI Indicators. New orders fell 3.9 points to 59.3 but kept most of June’s gains. Order backlogs, at a high last month, remained above the 50 neutral mark. Inventories grew […]
The Chicago Business Barometer jumped 7.5 points to 56.8 in June for its highest reading since January 2015, according to MNI Indicators. The Chicago Business Barometer, or Chicago PMI, is a measure of economic activity in the Chicago area based on survey responses of purchasing managers in the region. Although the rebound was welcomed, it […]
Manufacturing continues to be sluggish in the Midwest according to the latest survey by MNI Indicators. The MNI Chicago Business Barometer dropped back into contraction for a reading of 49.3, the lowest level since February and the sixth time below 50 in the past 12 months. Both new orders and production fell below 50 between […]
The Chicago Business Barometer, or Chicago PMI, dropped 3.2 points to 50.4 in April indicating a slow start to the second quarter. New orders and order backlogs both fell sharply during the month. Inventories, which have been relatively stable in the past few months, increased to their highest point since October 2015 but were still […]
The Chicago Business Barometer, or Chicago PMI as it is commonly called, surged six points in March to 53.6. The bounce back from February’s 8 point contraction was due to strong gains in production, new orders and order backlogs. The employment index rose above 50 in March to its highest level since April 2015. Inventories […]
The Chicago Business Barometer surprised economists with an 8 point tumble to 47.6 in February after increasing to 55.6 in January. Sharp declines in production in new orders contributed to the weaker readings. Economists expected a milder decline to 53; a reading below 50 indicates a contraction in business activity. As new orders dropped sharply, […]
The Chicago Business Barometer bounced back in January after a surprise drop in December. The index rose 12.7 points to 55.6 from the previous reading of 42.9. The welcome surge followed a weak quarter averaging 47.7, the lowest average since Q3 2009. January’s increase, however, may not be sustainable said Chief Economist of MNI Indicators […]
The Chicago Business Barometer (or Chicago PMI) fell at its fastest rate since 2009, down 5.8 points to 42.9 in December. The drop took analysts by surprise who were projecting a reading in the 48 to 50 range. MNI Indicators notes that the December reading is 16.5 points below the January 2015 high of 59.4. […]