Business Conditions Deteriorated Again in August, but EBCI Panel Sees Improvement Ahead

The latest Electroindustry Business Confidence Index (EBCI) results suggest the North American electroindustry remained in a “soft patch” in August. The EBCI for current North American conditions slipped to 35.7 from 38.6 in July, the second consecutive month it has fallen short of the 50-point level indicating an equal number of panelists see conditions improving as see them deteriorating. The survey’s measure of the degree of change in current North American conditions also inched slightly further into the red in August, declining to -0.5 from -0.4 a month ago. Panelists are asked to report intensity of change on a scale ranging from –5 (deteriorated significantly) through 0 (unchanged) to +5 (improved significantly).

While the EBCI for future North American conditions also retreated, panelists, on balance, remained optimistic. The index measured 54.8 in August, a decline from July’s reading of 61.4.

Click here for the complete August 2012 report.