The Industrial Supply Association Conference & Trade Fair took place earlier this week. I moderated a panel session, The View from Wall Street on Industrial Markets, with Walter Liptak, security analyst for Barrington Research Associates, Chicago, IL, and Holden Lewis, Industrial Equipment Analyst for BB&T Capital Markets Equity Research, Richmond, VA. They gave the industry insiders in that room (standing room only) a view from the investment side on strengths, weaknesses and trends.
Sometimes the truth hurts, and their analysis of a range of macro trends, end-use markets and outlook for the near-term was not pretty. That said, some of the data gave a glimmer of hope on top of the recent positive signs that we could near the bottom of this cycle and see a …