MNI Chicago Business Barometer Surges in Sep

MNI CHICAGO BUSINESS BAROMETER 62.4 SEP VS 51.2 AUG

MNI CHICAGO BUSINESS BAROMETER 55.2 Q3 VS 34.8 Q2

MNI CHICAGO BUSINESS BAROMETER: HIGHEST SINCE DECEMBER 2018

MNI CHICAGO BUSINESS BAROMETER: HIGHEST SINCE Q1 2019

• The Chicago Business Barometer jumped 11.2pt in Sep to the highest level since Dec 2018 as business activity recovered across the board.
• Through Q3, business sentiment recovered sharply by 20.4pt, marking the strongest reading since Q1 2019.
• All main five indicators saw m/m gains in Sep, with Production (67.9) and New Orders (64.9) leading the way.
• Order Backlogs increased to 52.9 and Supplier Deliveries ticked up to 67.4, while Employment was the only major category to register below the 50-mark in Sep at 45.7.
• Inventories rose significantly to 47.8, while Prices Paid increased to 64.7.
• New Orders (57.2) and Production (56.8) saw the largest quarterly increases, followed by Order Backlogs (48.7) and Employment (42.3), while Supplier Deliveries (64.1) was the only major category to fall on a q/q basis.
• The majority of respondents (52.2%) reported an increase in business costs during the pandemic, while only 13.0% saw decreasing costs.
• Companies continued to see the pandemic impacting business activity in Sep as suppliers are struggling to return to pre-covid capacity due to local restrictions.