Economy/Ecommerce
Midsummer Musings: What Will the 2nd Half Bring?
What’s ahead in the second half of the year for lending, investment volume and the business climate? A senior NAR economist sheds light on the complex issues that will shape the rest of 2017.
Industrial Demand
Compared to April 2016, new orders increased for all industries except for Furniture and Related Products, which went down by 2.1 percent.
Industrial Demand
The new orders for all manufacturing industries decreased on a month-over-month basis by 9.5 percent or nearly $48 billion.
Industrial Demand
The most significant changes included Transportation Equipment up 8.5 percent, followed closely by Primary Metals and Fabricated Metal Products, with an increase of 7.8 percent.
Change of Seasons
As the first quarter of 2017 passed, we have certainly faced multiple intersections, ranging from political shifts to demographic changes and from technological disruptions to accelerating urbanization. These alterations are placing tremendous pressures on global economies.
Industrial Demand
Furniture and related products ranked among the bottom categories for month-over-month new orders (down 8 percent), along with primary metals (down 4.9 percent).
Industrial Demand
Year-over-year, the only industry for which new orders decreased was transportation equipment, which fell by $2.8 billion, or 4.1 percent.
Industrial Demand
Value of manufacturers’ new orders; not seasonally adjusted; $ in millions