Economic Indicators
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,...
In this audiovisual presentation, Senior Economist Don Norman reviews the most recent manufacturing data. The manufacturing sector’s growth in February was fairly broad-based, with durable goods improving by 1.2 percent and nondurable goods increasing by 0.3 percent. The largest gain was in...
The overall economy declined slightly in the fourth quarter of 2012, offsetting an above-average pace of growth in the previous quarter. Spending for inventories, government defense, and net exports all fell—reversing the growth in the third quarter—and offset the positive gains in consumer...
MAPI believes that the fourth quarter decline in economic activity is not the beginning of another recession or a harbinger of one. On the contrary, the end-of-year weakness was a correction in production to temporary surges in the third quarter.
We predict that manufacturing production will...
China has the largest manufacturing economy in the world, and it widened its lead over the United States in 2011. At its pace of growth over the decade ending in 2011, China’s manufacturing value-added measured in dollars doubled every four years. When making country comparisons, however,...
Single-minded attention on runaway plants, and for that matter their return to the United States, is misplaced. Relatively few plants are shut down in the United States by an owner who opens up an identical facility abroad and supplies the U.S. market with imports from the foreign affiliate. A...
For the Canadian economy and its manufacturing sector, 2012 was a difficult year. Global headwinds and a weak domestic economy led to disappointing economic performance. For the manufacturing sector, growth rates, sales, and employment were feeble. Nevertheless, there is confidence that 2013 will...
Vice President and Chief Economist Dan Meckstroth reviews the most recent manufacturing data and discusses the recent rebound in U.S. manufacturing output growth. Fortunately, 18 out of the 25 industry groups showed an increase in output in December, indicating broad gains throughout manufacturing...
The U.S. trade deficit in manufactures increased by $23 billion, or 7 percent, during the first three quarters of 2012, compared with 2011, while the Chinese surplus was up by $74 billion, or 16 percent. Over the past three years, the U.S. deficit is projected to have risen by 52 percent, to $495...
The Composite Business Outlook Index was 55 in December, down slightly from 56 in September, pointing to continued expansion over the next three to six months. The index has, however, declined steadily since reaching a record high of 81 in June 2010. Most of the individual indexes remain above 50,...