Posts By Lindsay Young

We’ve heard before that the recession started earlier than anybody had thought. Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI released the following today:
 
A Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI report argues that the current U.S. economic recession began as early as January 2008 rather than in the widely presumed latter stages of 2008.
 
In The 2008-2009 Recession Began One Year Ago,Chief Economist Daniel J. Meckstroth provided four data points to support MAPI’s contention that the recession started in January 2008 and that abrupt deterioration from the credit crunch in September 2008 merely dealt a final body blow” to economic …

Creighton University’s Mid-America Business Conditions Index was at a record low of 33.0 for December. The report, found here, is based on a survey of supply managers in the region. An index of 50 is considered growth-neutral.”

The survey showed job losses for the eleventh time in the past 12 months. Inflation has turned to deflation, and export orders have plunged. North Dakota and Oklahoma are the only states in the region where leading economic indicators are above “growth-neutral.”
 
A Creighton economics professor and the head of the university’s Economic Forecasting Group says that …

Canada may follow the U.S. into a recession, according to an economist interviewed for a recent article in MDM, Forecast: Canada Faces a Rough First Half.”Demand for Canada’s products in the U.S. continues to fall despite a weakening of the Canadian dollar. About a third of Canada’s GDP is based on exports to the U.S.
 
What’s more, commodity prices and demand for raw materials have softened, putting a damper on the historically strong resources sector. And though Canada’s banking system has not seen the same turmoil as in the U.S., more businesses are reporting tighter credit conditions in the final quarter of the year.
 
Read the full story on Canada’s economy.

Motion Industries …

A number of manufacturers have announced layoffs in the past couple of weeks, citing weakness in the global automotive, industrial and construction markets.
 
The Stanley Works announced that it would be cutting 2,000 positions, or 10% of the current employee base. It will also be closing three manufacturing facilities and eliminating certain layers of management.”
 
In a news release, the company explained:
 
“During previous recessions dating back to the early 1970s, at times when the company had much higher percentage exposure to CDIY markets and customers than today, the company’s physical unit volume shipments have never declined by 7% or greater for two consecutive quarters. As previously reported, the company’s third quarter 2008 unit volume …

In MDM’s recent Reader Survey, we asked respondents to tell us about the trends they are seeing in markets here and abroad. As one respondent said: The world is one large business market, and you have to watch the entire global regularly -and not just the home market.”

In response to the survey question on how global issues are affecting their companies, some respondents said they weren’t seeing any impact. Other respondents said:
 
·         Security, compliance and new freight charges are making domestic products more affordable to produce and purchase.
·         Stronger dollar is improving the cost position on …