Research >> Economics
Kansas City Fed Manufacturing Activity was nearly flat in January
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Tenth District manufacturing activity was nearly flat in January while expectations for future activity expanded. The month-over-month prices for raw materials increased, while prices for finished products declined from a month ago. District firms continued to expect higher prices in the next 6 months.
Factory Activity Nearly Flat in January The month-over-month composite index was -1 in January, slightly higher than -5 in December and -2 in November. The composite index is an average of the production, new orders, employment, supplier delivery time, and raw materials inventory indexes. The slight decrease in district manufacturing activity was driven by declines in: nonmetallic mineral products, primary metal, fabricated metal products, computer and electronic products, beverage and tobacco products, and printing manufacturing, while several other industries improved. Most month-over-month indexes remained slightly negative in January, and inventories continued to decline. However, the month-over-month employment index rose back into positive territory for the first time in over six months and the supplier delivery time index was also slightly positive. Year-over-year factory indexes dropped further in January, and the composite decreased from -4 to -7. On the other hand, the future composite index grew from 9 to 14 in January.
Special Questions
This month contacts were asked special questions about the labor market. Over 62 percent of District manufacturing contacts reported workers were in short supply, down slightly from July 2019 when more than 77 percent of District firms reported workers were in short supply. Nearly 54 percent of firms reported they were raising wages more than normal to attract or keep workers in January 2020, compared to over 61 percent of firms that reported having to raise wages more than normal in July 2019.
Posted: January 23, 2020 Thursday 11:00 AM