DETROIT — The Southeast Michigan Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for November is at 51.9, dropping eight points from the October PMI of 58.9 and indicating slowing growth in the Southeast Michigan economy. Declines in production activity, new orders and hiring were the factors contributing to this month’s decrease.
Production, while still showing some growth at 51.4, decreased more than seven points from 58.8 last month. New orders dropped sharply, decreasing nearly 15 points from 64.7 to the threshold index of 50. The Employment Index dropped slightly from 58.8 to 55.7. The Commodity Prices Index was nearly unchanged at 51.4.
“A PMI value greater than 50 generally suggests an expanding economy, so at 51.9 the Southeast Michigan economy still experienced growth this month, but at a significantly slower rate than last month,” said Ken Doherty, assistant vice president for procurement and strategic sourcing at Wayne State University and a member of the Southeast Michigan chapter of the Institute for Supply Management.
“Purchasing managers expressed a variety of concerns about the economic environment over the next six months,” said Nitin Paranjpe, a supply chain faculty member at Wayne State University’s School of Business Administration who interpreted the results of the purchasing managers survey. “The ‘fiscal cliff,’ tax reform, economic conditions in Europe, China and the Middle East; and the implementation of new heath care laws were some of the concerns they shared in our survey.”
The confidence element of the PMI survey indicated that 51.4 percent of purchasing managers presume the economy will remain the same over the next six months, 21.6 percent expect more stability, and 27 percent expect less stability.
The Southeast Michigan Purchasing Managers Index is a research partnership between Wayne State University’s School of Business Administration and the Institute for Supply Management – Southeast Michigan. The complete report for November is available for download at http://www.ism-sem.org/uploaded_pics/pdf-20121128133923.pdf.
The Institute for Supply Management - Southeast Michigan serves its members as an affiliate of the Institute for Supply Management by providing superior opportunities for education, networking, and career enhancement as a means of advancing and promoting the leading edge practices and profession of purchasing and supply management. Visit their website at http://www.ism-sem.org.
Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution of higher education offering 370 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 29,000 students. The School of Business Administration offers AACSB accredited programs at the bachelor, master and doctoral levels and is recognized for academic excellence by The Princeton Review. Learn more atwww.business.wayne.edu.
