Manufacturing Activity Remains Robust

摘要

Manufacturing activity continued at a healthy pace in December, although the gains were smaller than in November. The overall APICS Business Outlook Index declined to 51.2 from 52.9 in November. The current conditions component fell to 49.8 from 52.2, while the future conditions component declined slightly to 52.5 from 53.6. In particular, there was no evidence of inventory stockpiling at the manufacturing level. The component for inventory stocks rose to 45.2 from 40.6, but that still indicates a decline in manufacturing stocks for December. Also, shipments were virtually unchanged in December. On the other hand, both new and unfilled orders posted robust gains for the second consecutive month.