economics
Outlook - March 2009
The U.S. economy remains mired in the worst downturn since the Great Depression, but recent indicators suggest that demand for many manufacturing products at least started to stabilize in the first quarter.
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They’re Multiplying Everywhere!
Preoccupied as you may have been lately by high resin prices, a stagnating economy, overseas competitors, hurricane disruptions, and the credit crunch, not to mention the chaos on Wall Street, you may not have noticed something new and different sprouting up all around you, so to speak.
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Economic Outlook - June 2008
The U.S. appliance industry remains stuck in the throes of a two-year downturn that has seen domestic production fall 15% from its peak in 2006. But the good news is that the decline is decelerating, which indicates that it will soon hit bottom and will start the recovery phase shortly thereafter. Appliance output was down 8% in the first quarter of 2008 compared with the same period a year earlier. We forecast a more moderate decline of 2% in 2008 followed by a 4% to 6% rise in 2009.
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Economic Outlook - May 2008
Plastic bottle demand will pick up gradually in the second half of this year as the U.S. economy, particularly consumer spending, slowly regains momentum.
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PUR Machinery Gains in Versatility and Economy
Polyurethane equipment at K 2007 in Dusseldorf showed incremental advances in cost-effectiveness and ability to handle a wide range of applications.
Read MoreYour Business Recycle Pricing - December 2007
Recycled products are in hot demand as virgin resin prices continue to escalate. As a result, recycled PS prices have gone up 3¢ to 8¢ over the past year, and recycled PVC in some markets has risen up to 10¢/lb. Still, recycled material remains more affordable than virgin, but it is getting tougher and tougher to find. However, the outlook for recycled pricing and demand 2008 is as uncertain as the future state of the U.S. economy.
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Making Safety Profitable
Worker safety and health are every molder’s responsibility, but the approach taken by Mack Molding Co., Arlington, Vt., helped it gain significant production and revenue returns.
Read MoreDon’t Miss the Plastics ‘Weather Report’
No one can predict the weather for certain … and the same goes for movement of the economy.
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Raising Interest Rates and Rising Inflation
From a policy-making perspective, the U.S. economy has entered into a vexing phase of the current ´óÏó´«Ã½ cycle.
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Construction Markets Forecast
There is general agreement amongst economists that the residential construction and real estate sectors in the U.S. will "cool off" this year.
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