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MNI Chicago Business Barometer™ Dives to 45.7 in September

US DATA
MNI (London)

The Chicago Business BarometerTM, produced with MNI, descended to a more than two-year low in September. The indicator tumbled by 6.5 points to 45.7, entering contractionary territory for the first time since June 2020.

  • Production slumped by 10.4 points to 44.5 in September, giving back all the recovery (and more) from August.
  • New Orders contracted for the fourth consecutive month, slipping by 6.7 points to 42.2. Softening demand was cited.
  • Order Backlogs slowed by 12.6 points to 41.9 as weak new orders saw production shift to working through remaining orders.
  • Employment recorded the starkest decline in September, dropping 14.4 points to 40.2 in September and re-entering contractive territory.
  • Supplier Deliveries moderated by a further 2.3 points to 59.8.
  • Inventories weakened by 8.6 points to 53.0, over five points below the 12-month average. Inventories remain very high, as firms cite having overstocked previously due to supply issues.
  • Prices Paid softened in September by 7.7 points to 74.1. Price Paid was the lowest since November 2020 and signals a more substantial slowing of prices charged related to an early sign of contracting demand in specific products.
  • The survey ran from September 1 to 20.


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