The latest Electroindustry Business Confidence Index (EBCI) results suggest the North American electroindustry remained in a "soft patch" in August. The EBCI for current North American conditions slipped to 35.7 points from 38.6 points in July, the second consecutive month it has fallen short of the 50-point level indicating an equal number of panelists see conditions improving as see them deteriorating. The EBCI is a monthly survey of senior executives at electrical manufacturers published by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), Rosslyn, Va.
While the EBCI for future North American conditions also retreated, panelists, on balance, remained optimistic. The index measured 54.8 points in August, a decline of 6.6 points from July's reading of 61.4 points. The EBCI Indexes for all other regions of the world were still stuck in the same soft patch, with their current conditions still below the 50-point mark. Latin America showed no change at 42.9 points; Europe dropped 9.3 points to 30 points; and the Asia/Pacific region decline 21.4 points to 28.6 points.
The EBCI Indexes for Future Conditions in other regions of the world fared better in August, with Europe up 8.9 points to 46.4 points; the Asia-Pacific region down 0.9 points to 67.9 points. The Latin America region showed the biggest increase, up 16.7 points to 66.7 points. Europe is the only region still under the 50-point growth threshold for future conditions.
