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NAM Forge Your Path Series: Meet Osmundson Manufacturing Company President and CEO Heather Bruce
September 8, 2026Osmundson Manufacturing Company President and CEO Heather Bruce with her father, Douglas Bruce, the former president and CEO of Osmundson, during the transition of leadership to Heather.
Case-Shiller Suggests a Stalled Housing Market as Yearly Gains Fade
June 1, 2026In March, the S&P Cotality Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index recorded a 0.7% annual gain, down slightly from a 0.8% rise in February. The 10-City Composite increased 1.4%, down from 1.5% the previous month, while the 20-City Composite rose 0.8% year-over-year, down from 0.9% in February. Chicago again posted the highest annual gain…
Consumer Confidence Slips as Current Conditions Weaken
June 1, 2026Consumer confidence edged down 0.7 points in May to 93.1. Among its components, the Present Situation Index contracted while the Expectations Index improved as customers’ concerns regarding the present situation worsened and concerns about the future eased. The Present Situation Index, reflecting current business and labor market conditions, declined 3.2 points to 121.2. Meanwhile, the…
Fifth District Manufacturing Picks Up as Shipments and New Orders Turn Higher
June 1, 2026Manufacturing activity in the Fifth District rose at a faster pace in May after moving up in April, with the composite manufacturing index increasing from 3 to 13. At the same time, the local business conditions index decreased from 10 to 5 in May. Despite growth of current business conditions weakening, manufacturers are more optimistic…
Texas Factory Activity Cools as Production Slows and Uncertainty Remains High
June 1, 2026In May, Texas factory activity expanded at a slower pace after strengthening the prior month. The production index decreased from 19.0 to 9.4, falling slightly below the series average of 9.6. The new orders index stepped down 3.5 points to 6.4, while the capacity utilization index fell 14.6 points to 5.2, below the series average…
Permits Rebound as Multifamily Construction Strengthens
May 26, 2026Building permits increased 5.8% in April but ticked down 0.2% over the year. Permits for single-family homes in April declined 2.6% and 5.5% over the year. On the other hand, permits for buildings with five or more units surged 22.7% from March and 11.5% over the year. In April, housing starts decreased 2.8% from March…
Flash PMI Sets a New Cycle High as Supply Disruptions Drive Costs Higher
May 26, 2026The S&P Global Flash U.S. Manufacturing PMI rose for the 10th consecutive month from 54.5 to 55.3 in May, a 48-month high. Factory production improved at its fastest rate since April 2022, while new orders growth slowed but marked its second-fastest pace of growth over the past four years. Meanwhile, export orders continue to decline…
Philly Manufacturing Activity Contracts, but Outlook Improves
May 26, 2026In May, Philadelphia’s regional manufacturing activity contracted slightly after four consecutive months of growth, with the index for general business activity falling from 26.7 to -0.4. This month, 22.9% of firms noted decreases in activity, while 22.5% reported increases. New orders declined, moving from 33.0 to -1.7, while shipments grew at a slower pace, dropping…
Tenth District Manufacturing Cools as Backlogs Build and Employment Turns Negative
May 26, 2026Manufacturing activity grew at a slightly slower pace in the Tenth District in May, with the month-over-month composite index decreasing to 8 in May from 10 in April. Meanwhile, expectations for future activity ticked up 1 point to 19. The month-over-month activity slowdown was due to a decline in growth of durable manufacturing, which offset…
Small Business Sentiment Barely Improves as Hiring Challenges Top Concerns
May 18, 2026The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index edged up 0.1 point to 95.9 in April, remaining below the 52-year average of 98. April’s increase was due to improvements in most indices, with the largest uptick in earnings trends, which were partially offset by a notable decline in expected business conditions. Of the 10 components included in…
