Chicago Business Barometer™ & Research

Chicago Business Barometer^™ & Research

Monthly Survey - Chicago Business Barometer^™

The ISM Chicago Business Survey, is a regional view of the national economy; is a time-tested, market-moving report. The Chicago Report^™ is available to subscribers on the last working day each month. The Chicago Business Barometer^™ summarizes current Business Activity. The Barometer is considered to be a leading indicator of the U.S.A. economy.

For more than seven decades, the Chicago Business Barometer^™ has been providing leading insight on the U.S. economy. The Chicago Business Barometer^™ is delivered to subscribers via the MNI Chicago Report^™, a monthly report published by MNI Indicators that presents valuable information on the U.S. economic activity and a fresh look at current U.S. business conditions. The report consists of seven Business Activity indicators and three Buying Policy indicators that represent activity and preformance levels compared to the prior month.

Purchasing and Supply Management professionals in the Chicago area, primarily members of ISM Chicago, are polled to assess business conditions for their respective companies every month.

For more information about the Chicago Business Barometer^™ and MNI Indicators products, please contact martindanielb@yahoo.com.

Periodically, ISM Chicago may invite our members and community to participate in additional research.

July - Chicago Business Barometer^™

The Chicago Business Barometer^™ advanced 6.7 points to 47.1 in July. This was the largest increase in thirteen months, bringing the index to the highest since March 2025. However, the index still has been below 50 for twenty months.

The increase was driven by a sharp rise in New Orders and Order Backlogs. Meanwhile, Production, Employment and Supplier Deliveries saw small decreases.

July special question asked: "How are macroeconomic pressures affecting your procurement decisions? (Select all that apply). Majority 67% answered "Driving cost-cutting and efficiency measures". 47% responded "Increasing supplier renegotiations and contract reviews", with 40% of respondents reporting "Delaying investments in organization projects". Balance 6% reported "No significant impact or other".

Released July 31, 2025.

Read the Press Release

How AI is Reshaping Supplier Negotiations

Supply Chain Management

AI is starting to play a major role in how companies negotiate with suppliers. These advancements are driven by the need for greater speed, scalability, and strategic agility due to increasing complex supply chains and disruptions caused by external factors such as weather and trade wars. Once a cost-saving tool for automating low-value, repetitive negotiations. AI is now being used to make key decisions in procurement.

Full Story: Harvard Business Review (07/24)