Net Rising Index, Profits, NABE Industry Survey July 2008
The Graph of the Week is the Net Rising Index for Demand from the July 2008 NABE Industry Survey. From the survey:
Weakening U.S. market conditions and soaring commodity prices are squeezing profit margins. For a second consecutive quarter, reports of falling profit margins outnumbered reports of rising margins. Only 17% of respondents indicated that their profit margins increased during the past quarter, while 30% noted falling margins and 53% reported no change. While all major sectors posted weaker results in the latest quarter, falling profit margins were most prevalent in goods-producing and financial industries. Profit margins decreased for a fifth consecutive quarter for goods-producing firms and their NRI deteriorated from -10 to -29.
NABE members can read the full survey online. A summary is available to the public