The National Electrical Manufacturers Association’s Electroindustry Business Confidence Index (EBCI) for current North American conditions dipped to 45.7 points from 50 points in June, implying that business conditions facing the industry worsened slightly during the past month. A reading of 50 points or more reflects an optimistic outlook on the part of respondents.
The EBCI Index is based on a monthly survey of members of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), Rosslyn, Va.
With July’s score of 60.9 points, the EBCI Future Conditions Index for North America continued to point toward improvement in the months ahead. The index climbed slightly to 60.9 points in July from an already solid reading of 60.4 points in June. July marked the third month in a row the index topped the “break-even” threshold of 50 points.
Current conditions readings were mixed in the other world regions included in the survey. Current conditions in Europe improved from a month ago in July, moving from 50 points last month to 55 points in July. Asia/Pacific market indicators fared the worst in the July survey, as the current conditions index slipped from 53.6 points in June to 38.5. Meanwhile, the future conditions index for the region edged up 0.8 points to 61.5 points in July.
Current conditions for Latin America fell from 56.7 points in June to 50 points. The future conditions index improved, climbing 8.6 points from 70 points in June to 78.6 points in July.