U.S. manufacturers’ seasonally adjusted after-tax profits in the third quarter of 2021 totaled $254.6 billion, up $5.2 billion from the $249.4 billion recorded in the second quarter of 2021, and up $118.4 billion from the $136.2 billion recorded in the third quarter of 2020, according to a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau. Seasonally […]
Category: Research & Analytics
Wholesale Sales and Inventories Up
The U.S. Census Bureau says October 2021 sales of merchant wholesalers — except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations and trading day differences but not for price changes — were $620.5 billion. That figure is up 2.2% from the revised September level and up 22.2% from the revised October 2020 level. […]
‘Slight Improvement’ for FDI
The seasonally adjusted Fastener Distributor Index for November was 57.6, a “slight improvement” that occurred thanks to better seasonally adjusted selling momentum, according to the latest analysis from Baird, FCH Sourcing Network and the Institute for Supply Management. The FDI improve from 56.1 in October. Overall, November largely saw a continuation of recent themes, including […]
Goods and Services Deficit Shrinks in October
The goods and services deficit was $67.1 billion in October, down $14.3 billion from $81.4 billion in September, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. October exports were $223.6 billion, $16.8 billion more than the previous month. October imports were $290.7 billion, about $2.5 billion more than September imports. […]
Nonresidential Construction Employment Rises
Nonresidential construction employment rose last month, as the industry added 31,000 jobs on net, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The industry has recovered approximately 90% of the jobs lost during earlier stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonresidential construction employment in November […]
ISM: Manufacturing Grew in November
Economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew last month, with the overall economy achieving an 18th consecutive month of growth, according to the latest Manufacturing ISM Report on Business. Timothy R. Fiore, chair of the Institute for Supply Management, released the report. The November Manufacturing PMI registered 61.1%, an increase of 0.3 percentage point from […]
Oct. Construction Spending Up
Construction spending last month was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,598 billion, 0.2% above the revised September estimate of nearly $1,595 billion, according to a report from the U.S. Census Bureau. The recent October number is 8.6% higher than the October 2020 estimate of almost $1,472 billion. During the first 10 months […]
Wholesale Distribution Revenue Growth Rate Ticks Upward
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 […]
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 […]
Expect Pricing Pressures to Remain High into 2022
Inflation data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics this week was even higher than many analysts anticipated, with pricing rising 6.2% in October compared to last year. It’s the largest annual increase in nearly three decades. Distributors have been feeling the pinch of inflationary pressures throughout the pandemic and expect pricing pressures to remain […]
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 […]
