The anticipated revenue growth rate for U.S. wholesale distributors in 2021 ticked up slightly in November based on 10 months of data, rising from the 20.8% October forecast to 21.3%, according to the latest monthly industry forecast produced exclusively for MDM by the University of Colorado Boulder Leeds School of Business. The 2022 forecast also […]
Category: Economic Trends
Trade Deficit Shrinks to $82.9B
The international trade deficit was $82.9 billion last month, down $14.1 billion from the $97 billion reported in September, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Exports of goods for October were $157.4 billion, $15.3 billion more than September exports. Imports of goods for October were $240.3 billion, $1.1 billion more than the prior month. Wholesale […]
Real GDP Up Slightly in New 3Q Estimate
Real gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 2.1% in the third quarter of 2021, according to the “second” estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the second quarter, real GDP increased 6.7%. The GDP estimate released Wednesday was based on more complete source data than were available for the “advance” […]
Selected Service 3Q Revenue Rises
Advance U.S. selected services total revenue for the third quarter of 2021 was $4,524.9 billion, an increase of 3.7% over 2021’s second quarter and 15.2% over the third quarter last year, according to a report from the U.S. Census Bureau. The first quarter of 2021 to second quarter of 2021 percentage change was revised from […]
New Residential Construction Rises
Privately‐owned housing units authorized by building permits in October 2021 were 4% above the prior month’s rate and 3.4% above the October 2020 rate. Privately‐owned housing units authorized by building permits in October 2021 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,650,000, 4% above the revised September rate of 1,586,000 and 3.4% above the […]
Industrial Production Rises in October
Industrial production rose 1.6% in October after falling 1.3% in September, as about half of the gain in October reflected a recovery from the effects of Hurricane Ida, according to the U.S. Federal Reserve. Manufacturing output increased 1.2% in October. Excluding a large gain in the production of motor vehicles and parts, factory output moved […]
Trade Sales and Manufacturers Shipments Up
The combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments for September — adjusted for seasonal and trading day differences but not for price changes — was estimated at $1,669.7 billion, up 0.9% from August 2021 and was up 15.5% from September 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Manufacturers’ and trade inventories for September, […]
Retail and Foodservice Sales Rise
Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for October 2021 — adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences but not for price changes — were $638.2 billion, an increase of 1.7% over the previous month and 16.3% above October 2020, according to a report from the U.S. Census Bureau. Total sales […]
Building Material Prices Rise
Building material prices rose last month, as construction input prices increased 1.5% in October, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released earlier this week. Nonresidential construction input prices increased 1.4% in October. Construction input prices are 21.1% higher than in October of last […]
Fastener Distributor Index Improves
Despite continued supply chain disruption, October’s seasonally adjusted Fastener Distributor Index improved to 56.1, reflecting slightly better selling momentum and employment levels, according to the latest analysis from Baird, FCH Sourcing Network and the Institute for Supply Management. The FDI increased from 54.2 in September. FDI key themes from October include elevated freight costs, shipping […]
Manufacturing Tech Orders Up 9%
Orders for new manufacturing technology in September totaled $590 million, a 9% increase over August 2021 and a nearly 60% increase over the same month a year ago, according to the latest U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders Report published by The Association For Manufacturing Technology. Year-to-date orders for 2021 totaled $4.115 billion, a 53% increase over […]
Goods and Services Deficit Rises in September
The goods and services deficit rose 11.2% to $80.9 billion in September, up $8.1 billion from a revised $72.8 billion in August, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. September exports dropped 3% to $207.6 billion. The month’s imports rose 0.6% to $288.5 billion. The September increase in the […]
Real GPD Grows 2%
Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2% in the third quarter of 2021, according to the “advance” estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the second quarter, real GDP increased 6.7%. The GDP estimate released Thursday is based on source data that are incomplete or subject to further […]
CFNAI Dips in September
The Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) dipped to -0.13 in September from +0.05 in August. One of the four broad categories of indicators used to construct the index made a negative contribution in September, and one category deteriorated from August. The index’s three-month moving average, CFNAI-MA3, moved down to +0.25 in September from +0.38 […]
Genuine Parts’ Q3 Sales Up 10.3%
Atlanta-based Genuine Parts Company (NYSE: GPC) announced Thursday that its third-quarter 2021 sales were $4.8 billion, a 10.3% increase over the same period a year ago. The company attributed the improvement to a 7.6% increase in comparable sales, a 1.8% benefit from acquisitions and a 0.9% net favorable impact of foreign currency and other. Net […]
Genuine Parts’ 3Q Sales Up 10.3%
Atlanta-based Genuine Parts Company (NYSE: GPC) announced Thursday that its third-quarter 2021 sales were $4.8 billion, a 10.3% increase over the same period a year ago. The company attributed the improvement to a 7.6% increase in comparable sales, a 1.8% benefit from acquisitions and a 0.9% net favorable impact of foreign currency and other. Net […]
New Residential Construction Slowed in September
The rate of new residential construction slowed in September, two federal departments said. Privately‐owned housing units authorized by building permits in September were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,589,000, 7.7% below the revised August rate but virtually unchanged from the September 2020 rate, according to a report from U.S. Census Bureau and the […]
Fed: Industrial production dropped 1.3% in September
Industrial production dropped 1.3% in September after moving down 0.1% the month before, according to the U.S. Federal Reserve. Output was previously reported to have risen 0.4% in August. In September, manufacturing output decreased 0.7%. The production of motor vehicles and parts fell 7.2%, as shortages of semiconductors continued to hobble operations; factory output elsewhere […]
U.S. Census Bureau: Manufacturing and Trade Shipments Drop Slightly in August
The combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments for August, adjusted for seasonal and trading day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $1,615.9 billion, which was down 0.1% from July but was up 15.3% from the same month a year ago, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Manufacturers’ and trade […]
Manufacturing Technology Orders Up Nearly 20% in August
Orders for manufacturing technology in August totaled $560 million, according to the latest U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders report published by AMT – The Association for Manufacturing Technology. August showed an increase of nearly 20% over the previous month and 89% over August 2020. The year-to-date total reached $3.55 billion, the highest value through the first […]
