Back

May 16, 2022

MSCI Monthly Metals Activity Report Is Ready For Download

Connecting the Dots monitors all major economic announcements in the United States and Canada, but MSCI also offers industrial metals industry-specific data products that provide much deeper analysis and insight. Visit MSCI’s website and click on Industry Data to learn more about our Metals Activity Report (MAR), Momentum Monitors, and Economic Opportunity and Risk Tracker.

Meanwhile, here are the major headlines from the last week:

  • MSCI’s latest Metals Activity Report, a monthly report on service center shipments and inventories, is now available. If you are a subscriber, find the new data here.
  • The National Federation of Independent Business’s Small Business Optimism Index was unchanged in April, remaining at 93.2. April was the fourth consecutive month that the index was below the 48-year average of 98. Small business owners expecting better business conditions over the next six months decreased one point to a net negative 50 percent, the lowest level recorded in the 48-year-old survey. Inflation continues to be a problem for small businesses. Nearly one-thirdof owners reported this issue their single most important problem in operating their business, the highest reading since the fourth quarter of 1980. Read the full report here.
  • According to The Wall Street Journal heavy duty truck production has slowed due to an ongoing parts shortage and a long backlog of orders. Market researchers expect production of about 296,000 heavy-duty trucks in 2022, down from 344,560 trucks in 2019.
  • The U.S. Department of Labor reported 203,000 people filed for federal unemployment benefits in the week that ended May 7, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week. The four-week moving average of first-time claims was 192,750, a 4,250 increase from the prior week. The number of people who continued to receive benefits fell, meanwhile. Read the full report here.
  • In other news: U.S. Producer Price Index rose 0.5 percent between March 2022 and April 2022 and 11 percent between April 2021 and April 2022, a figure that was down from an 11.5 percent year-over-year increase in March; the U.S. Consumer Price Index rose 0.3 percent for the month of April and 8.3 percent year-over-year; and real average hourly earnings for all U.S. employees fell 0.1 percent from March to April due to higher inflation.

To search, type what you're looking for and results will appear automatically