MNI Chicago Business Barometer Declines.....>

US DATA: MNI Chicago Business Barometer Declines to 60.4 in September

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The MNI Chicago Business Barometer fell to a five-month low of 60.4 in

September, down 3.2 points from August's 63.6. Business operations continued to

improve at a solid clip, despite activity decelerating for a second straight

month. Moderations in both output and order book growth, alongside weaker hiring

sentiment, were culpable for the Barometer's decline, offsetting slightly longer

delivery times and a higher count of unfinished orders. Although down on a

year-over-year basis for only the second time since January 2017, the Barometer

continues to indicate strong overall business conditions, with all key measures

of activity above their respective long-run levels. Over Q3, the headline index

averaged 63.2, the best calendar quarter outturn this year. This month's special

questions asked firms whether they envisaged delivery times lengthening or

shortening over the rest of the year. The survey period ran from September 3 to

September 20.