October EBCI Shows Marked Improvement

NEMA’s Electroindustry Business Confidence Index (EBCI) indicated that conditions facing the electrical industry improved on balance in October, climbing to 57.4 points from 50 points in September.

The latest month was the first since May in which the index exceeded the 50-point growth threshold. Nearly 30 percent of survey panelists reported an improvement in conditions in October compared to the previous month, while slightly fewer than 15 percent experienced worsening conditions. In September, just as many panelists — 20 percent— reported conditions improved as reported conditions deteriorated. The EBCI is a monthly survey of senior executives at electrical manufacturing firms published by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), Rosslyn, Va.

Meanwhile, October’s EBCI for future North American conditions moved higher for a second straight month, increasing to 63 points from 58.3 points a month ago.

The global EBCI Indexes were mixed. Europe showed increases of 6.4 points and 10.9 points for current and future conditions, respectively, while Latin America and the Asia/Pacific region both declined in October. Latin America’s EBCI Indexes dropped 4.2 points and 4.1 points for current and future conditions. Current conditions in the Asia/Pacific region dropped 13.8 points while its EBCI Index for future conditions slipped 0.2 points.