December
Missouri’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for December was 50.5, an increase of 2.1 points, and just in expansion territory, according to the monthly Mid-America Business Conditions Survey, conducted by Creighton University, Omaha, NE.
Economists consider the index, which measures such factors as new orders, production, supplier delivery times, backlogs, inventories, prices, employment, import orders and exports, a key economic indicator. Typically, a score greater than 50 indicates an expansionary economy while a score below 50 forecasts a sluggish economy. The December PMI® for manufacturing registered 47.2, decreasing 0.9 points from the November reading of 48.1 percent.
Note: The national purchasing manager's indices are produced by the Institute for Supply Management, formerly the Purchasing Management Association.