Moldmaking Index Climbs Again to 49.6 for June, Just Shy of Expansion

Moldmaking Index

The Gardner Business Index (GBI) measures the current state of moldmaking activity through survey responses covering new orders, production, backlog, employment, exports and supplier deliveries. A reading above 50 indicates expansion; below 50 indicates contraction.

The Moldmaking Index gained 1.6 points for a June reading of 49.6.

The Moldmaking Index revealed another month of positive results climbing 1.6 points to land at 49.6 in June. While still in contraction, moldmaking activity shows signs of growth. Production, new orders and exports all experienced multiple-point gains in June. Employment and backlogs, while also positive, were more modest. Supplier deliveries fell several points, meaning delivery times were shorter, an indicator of less activity elsewhere in the supply chain. The Future Business Index saw a slight increase in June, which further slowed its descent in the three-month average. The reading of 60.4 remains higher than the June level in either of the previous two years.

Components Scorecard

The GBI Components Scorecard reports the monthly change rate of primary moldmaking market factors contributing to the overall monthly index reading.

Reading the Scorecard: Color indicates where a component value falls relative to 50 for the current month. Green indicates expansion; red indicates contraction.

Shade indicates a value's distance from 50; the darker the shade, the further from 50.

Direction indicates a value's change versus the previous period. Pointing up is always better.

Future Business Index

The GBI Future Business Index is an indicator of the future state of the moldmaking market from industry respondents regarding their opinion of future business conditions for the next 12 months. Over 50 is expansion and under 50 is contraction.