Gardner Business Index

New Gardner Business Index Products Released

By: Michael Guckes

Gardner’s new business activity tracking tool allows subscribers to see industry changes by material types and machines used.  This will provide for example glass fiber and carbon fiber fabricators the ability to see independent trends in the composites industry by material type as opposed to composites industry activity overall.  This new product will also monitor metalworking shops by specific equipment utilized including five axis machines, EDMs, and grinding among others.

January Housing Permits Highest Since 2006

By: Steven Kline, Jr.

As permits are seasonal, January’s permit total was the highest for January since 2006. Short-term trends are indicating that the annual rate of growth will accelerate in the upcoming months.

Monetary Base Continued Strongest Growth Since Depths of 2008-2009 Financial Crisis

By: Steven Kline, Jr.

Compared with one year ago, January’s monetary base was up 52.4%, which was the fifth month in a row and seventh in the last nine months with faster than 50% growth. 

2021 Will (Again) Be the Year of the Supply Chain

By: Michael Guckes

The work of reinforcing and evolving manufacturing supply chains still has a long way to go in 2021.  Firms which simply get their supply chain back to where it was pre-COVID will be exposed to inflating costs and the risk of lost sales opportunities. 

Real 10-Yr Treasury Rate Continues Climb

By: Steven Kline, Jr.

For the first time since December 2018, the year-over-year change in the real 10-year treasury rate was positive.

Machine Tool Orders Boom in December 2020

By: Steven Kline, Jr.

Machine tool orders reached their highest level since September 2018 (the last in-person IMTS) and their highest level outside of an IMTS month in three years.

January 2021 - Gardner Business Index Video Update

January's manufacturing business activity data pointed to continued expansion in New Orders and Production activity.

A Strong End to 2020 for Durable Goods New Orders

By: Steven Kline, Jr.

In December, durable goods new orders reached their highest total since December 2018, growing at an accelerating rate for the second month in a row.

Gardner Business Index for January 2021: 54.4

By: Michael Guckes

The Gardner Business Index (GBI) increased during January thanks to expansionary readings in five of the Index’s six components.  The move higher was led principally by supplier deliveries, production and new orders readings.  

Durable Goods Spending Grows Nearly Twice the Historic Rate in December

By: Steven Kline, Jr.

While total consumer spending has contracted at its fastest rate in 35 years, consumer durable goods spending grew at its fastest rate in two decades.

Income Skyrocketing, Spending Crashing

By: Steven Kline, Jr.

The current relationship between extreme accelerating growth in real disposable income and extreme accelerating contraction in consumer spending is unprecedented.

Fourth Quarter US Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Led Higher Thanks to Manufacturing Activity

By: Michael Guckes

4Q2020 U.S. GDP increased by 4% thanks in part to strength in manufacturing activity.