Mid-American Economy

Mid-America Index Advances Above Growth Neutral for Third Straight Month, Price Gauge Surges to Two-Year High

The overall index rose above growth neutral for a third straight month.
The nine-state region added manufacturing jobs for a second consecutive month.
The April price gauge climbed to its highest level in two years.
One in three supply managers reported that the Iran war/conflict was producing stockouts for inputs to their firm. These shortages pushed input prices higher.
As reported by one supply manager in April, “The war certainly has a global impact and provides reasons for logistics, energy, fertilizer and other markets to take advantage and raise prices.”
Supply managers expect input prices to spike by 5.3% over the next six months.