The Gardner Business Index (GBI): Metalworking registered 53.4 for December. Although December’s above-50 reading was slightly lower than the prior month, it was still a milestone for the Metalworking Index: It marked the first time in recorded history that the index has recorded two years of consecutive expansion. Furthermore, it established 2018 as the fastest expanding calendar year since 2012, with an average monthly reading of 57.7. (The prior record was set in 2017 with a reading of 55.8.) The index was supported by supplier deliveries, production, new orders and employment. Backlogs and exports contracted during the month, pulling the average-based index reading lower. Read more

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