Manufacturing investment growth ends the year with a slowdown, index shows
The Manufacturing Circle’s investment tracker fell 12.3 index points in the last quarter of 2016. The index fell to 58, which the Manufacturing Circle pointed out was still above the 50-point threshold separating expansion from contraction. "There was a pull back in the last quarter but there’s still life there with continued expansion, skilled job creation and investment," the industry group said. All five subindices (property, inventories, plants and equipment, research and development and human capital) declined in the final quarter. The biggest drop was seen in plant and equipment, which fell 13 points; and inventories, which fell 12.6 points. The index tracks investment by manufacturing enterprises. The survey was based on 50 manufacturing enterprises. The dominant subsections were iron and steel, which made up 45%; petroleum and chemicals, which made up 13%; and packaging, which was 8%. The weightings are expected to change. The decline in the index follows worse than expected...
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