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Chicago Business Barometer sees modest pre-Christmas recovery

US DATA

The Chicago Business Barometer produced with MNI, rose to 63.1 in December, picking up again after last month’s decline. Inventories hit a four-year high as firms created buffers for longer lead times.

  • ­­­­­Among the main five indicators, Production and New Orders and were higher. Order Backlogs, Employment and Supplier Deliveries fell across the month.
  • Prices Paid dropped 4.2 points to a seven-month low of 89.6 in December. This is still above the 12-month average of 88.0, as shortages of certain materials led to inflated costs.
  • In December, Production continued to increase, rising modestly by 0.4 points to 61.9, the highest reading since July 2021
  • Employment dipped again for the second month in a row, dropping 7.0 points to 44.6, the lowest since June 2021. Firms stated that finding new hires to fill empty positions is challenging.
  • After the sharp November fall, New Orders recovered almost to October’s level, picking up 8.2 points to stand at 66.5.
  • Survey ran from Dec 1 through Dec 20.

MNI London Bureau | +44 203-865-3812 | les.commons@marketnews.com
MNI London Bureau | +44 203-865-3812 | les.commons@marketnews.com

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