This morning’s Institute for Supply Management (ISM) data offered more evidence that the industrial portion of the U.S. economy has slowed materially in the past six months. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Getty ImagesThe key takeaway from the ISM data is that U.S. industrial companies are increasingly unwilling to place new orders for equipment. That model is still used in some consumer goods, notably automobiles, but on the industrial side is continually being replaced by just-in-time supply methods. The ISM data show that clearly. Ultimately it is about confidence, and while measures of consumer confidence remain strong, the weak new orders data show that U.S. producers are actually quite pessimistic.

Source: Forbes December 02, 2019 17:03 UTC