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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. 

 

 

Chicago Business Barometer™ 

 

The Chicago Business Barometer™ dropped 10.5 points to 47.1 in August. The Barometer is below the neutral 50 level for the first time since April, and at its lowest since December. 

The fall was driven by declines in New Orders, Order Backlogs, Production and Supplier Deliveries. A small rise in Employment provided some positive offset.

Read Press report for full details.     

Released August 28, 2026. 

    

Read Press Release

 

3 Warning Signs Your Supplier Is In Distress    

Operations and Supply Management  

Multinational corporations may be overlooking early signs of supplier distress as tariffs, logistics disruptions, compliance costs, and global shocks increase pressure on suppliers. The article identifies six warning areas—innovation, investment, capability, service resilience, commercial participation, and network position—and three stages of distress: range thinning, descaling, and withdrawal. The key message is to move beyond traditional supplier metrics and identify weakening capabilities early, allowing buyers to intervene before critical suppliers reduce capacity or exit the supply network.
 
Full Story: Harvard Business Review (07/30)

  

View Article

 

 

 

Caught between a rock and a hard place: Mapping your supply chain 

U.S. Law and regulation

U.S. importers face growing compliance challenges as U.S. forced labor laws require end-to-end supply chain mapping while new Chinese regulations prohibit tracing product origins within China. This legal conflict increases shipment risks, delays, and costs, prompting many organizations to diversify sourcing, nearshore production, or strengthen domestic manufacturing to improve supply chain resilience.

Full Story: Supply Chain Management Review (07/06) 

View Article

Chicago Report - Special Question

In August, the Chicago Report™ asked firms “In light of ongoing geopolitical tensions, trade uncertainty, and supply chain disruption, how has your organization responded to unexpected increases in material or market costs?”

 

See breakout of responses in graph.