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.

January - Chicago Business Barometer^™

The Chicago Business Barometer^™ increased 2.6 points to 39.5 in January. This is the first increase after three consecutive months of decline, though the index remains below both the levels of November 2024 and the 2024 average.

The rise was driven by increases in New Orders and Production. Falls in Supplier Deliveries, Employment and Order Backlogs moderated the increase.

January special question asked: "How do you see business activity growing in the first half of 2025, by percent?" Majority 54% answered "0% - 5%", 25% reported "No Growth", with 7% of respondents each reporting between "Decline", "10%+" or "5% to 10%".

Released January 31, 2025.

Labor rights, Automation to Reshape Supply Chain Workforce for 2025

With contentious union negotiations, rapid advancement in automation and artificial intelligence and growing global scrutiny on human rights abuses, 2025 is set to be a transformative year for labor across supply chains, where businesses and their employees will look to achieve a tenuous balance between profitability and accountability.

Full Story: Supply Chain Brain (01/02)

How California wildfires are affecting supply chains

While no major warehouse impacts have been reported, a spike in building materials demand could create shortages.

Southern California wildfires have had minimal immediate impact on supply chains, but experts anticipate challenges during rebuilding. Lisa Anderson of LMA Consulting Group notes power outages and infrastructure strain as potential issues, while CBRE predicts increase demand for building materials and storage.

Full Story: Supply Chain Dive (01/28)

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