How steep were the PMI declines in April? (updated)

Earlier this month , we looked at how manufacturing purchasing manager indexes (PMI) had changed between February and March as more economies around the world implemented lockdowns. Data is now available for Europe, North America, most parts of Asia and the Middle East. Values of 50 and above indicate expansion and values below contraction; as expected, manufacturing activity deteriorated further in Europe and the U.S., where the indexes dropped from 45 to 34 and 49 to 37, respectively. Data from the Association of American Railroads through to week 17, which ended April 26, showed intermodal rail traffic was down by about 20% compared to last year. Meanwhile, in Japan the reported index is similar to last month. All these values are in line with the forecast for the second quarter of 2020.

Given that lockdowns have hit the services and hospitality industry particularly hard, it is no surprise that services PMIs are at all-time lows. In the Euro Area, the index dropped from 26.4 in March to 11.7 in April. In the U.S., the drop was from 40 to 27, and in Japan from 34 to 23. The interactive map below provides an overview of the April indexes and also has comparative data for March and February in separate layers. Interactive Map - April Manufacturing and Services PMIs (source IHS Markit via tradingeconomics.com)

.embed-container {position: relative; padding-bottom: 80%; height: 0; max-width: 100%;} .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container iframe{position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;} small{position: absolute; z-index: 40; bottom: 0; margin-bottom: -15px;}

How steep were the PMI declines in April? (updated)

Demand vs. capacity in the COVID-19 age

Western Global adds third 747-400F, reactivates MD-11F

Related Posts

Routes, risk and resilience: The transformation of global freight

June brings stability, not relief

May freighter capacity extends April’s higher operating level

Western Global adds third 747-400F, reactivates MD-11F

Cargo Facts Free Newsletters

Cargo Facts Connect Podcast

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Retrieve your password