ISM-New York December 2012 Report on Business at 54.3

Jan. 3, 2013 - PRLog -- (New York, NY) - New York City business activity improved to a five-month high, according to the survey taken by the Institute for Supply Management-New York (ISM-NY). Current Business Conditions came in at 54.3 in December.
Future optimism eased after a post-Sandy surge. The Six-Month Outlook fell to 67.6 in December.

Purchase volume expanded more quickly, while employment contracted for a second time in three months. Quantity of Purchases, 62.5 in December, rose to a 19-month high. Employment, 47.6 in December, fell to an 11-month low.

Price/cost pressures were moderate. Prices Paid, 54.8 in December, was similar to November’s level. Revenues, 55.3 in December, rose to a seven-month high, and Expected Demand, 72.5 in December, also advanced further. Hurricane Sandy appeared to be a lingering business impediment, as weather/natural disasters remained elevated in December. Also of note was the 20-month high in skilled labor shortages.

Next month in the January 2013 Report on Business, seasonally-adjusted series will be recalculated using updated seasonal factors. This will affect Current Business Conditions, the Six-Month Outlook and the NY-BCI from January 2008 to December 2012.

For a complete copy of the December 2012 Report On Business, visit our website at http://www.ismny.org.