Economic Analysis
The superior growth in manufacturing production early this year was due to the strong growth in housing starts, auto sales, and inventory rebuilding that disproportionately benefits manufacturing. When there is a large inventory build in one quarter, however, the gain tends to reverse in the next...
Vice President and Chief Economist Dan Meckstroth presents MAPI’s revised forecast for economic and manufacturing growth in the United States for 2013 and 2014. Despite the volatility and struggle for growth, economic fundamentals have definitely improved. There are a number of reasons to be...
Signs of softness have mainly come from domestic demand. One possible explanation for the slowdown is the government’s efforts to crack down on official banqueting and excess spending, which led to a sharp deceleration in spending at restaurants. Fixed asset investment, the other key driver of...
In 2012, China’s real (inflation-adjusted) GDP growth amounted to just 7.8 percent, the first time in more than a decade that it failed to reach 8 percent. Although some of the slowing was caused by short-term cyclical factors, many believe that it at least partially reflects ongoing structural...
Vice President and Chief Economist Dan Meckstroth overviews the most recent manufacturing data. The manufacturing industrial production index fell by 0.1 percent in March after increasing by a strong 0.9 percent in February. On a year-over-year basis, the index is 2.5 percent higher than in March...
In January 2010, the EPA proposed to reduce the ozone standard to somewhere between 60 and 70 ppb. The marginal cost of ozone standards rises rapidly as ozone standards become more stringent. Thus, moving from a currently implemented standard of 84 ppb to 60 ppb is likely to be even more expensive...
The Composite Business Outlook Index was 56 in March, up from 55 in December. This quarter’s increase, while small, is the first increase since June 2010, when the index reached a record high of 81. The investment indexes and the Profit Margin Index also increased. Most of the other indexes,...
MAPI Economic Consultant David Boisclair discusses recent economic and industrial conditions and provides forecasts for Canadian manufacturing through 2014. Following very weak growth last year, Canadian GDP growth is expected to accelerate in 2013. The expectation is for stronger growth in the...
MAPI Economic Consultant Fernando Sedano presents the industrial forecast for Latin America. Both Brazil and Argentina experienced a manufacturing recession in 2012. Thanks to targeted short-term patches, both countries are seeing a moderate economic and manufacturing rebound this year. Mexico,...
The overall economic growth in China was slower than expected for much of 2012, but the momentum picked up noticeably in the fourth quarter, thanks to the stabilization in exports and the real estate sector, the growth-supportive monetary policy, and the public support for infrastructure investment...