The Mid America Business Conditions Index, which ranges between 0 and 100, rose to 54.8 from December’s 54.4. The regional index, much like the national reading, is pointing to positive, but slow to modest growth for the first half of 2015. Ernie Goss director of Creighton University’s Economic Forecasting Group said it is a soft increase…
The regional employment gauge remained in a range indicating positive but slow growth for manufacturing and value-added services firms in the region. The job gauge fell to 51.4 from December’s 56.5. Goss said most businesses expected strong price growth…
Goss said this month supply managers were asked to identify their firm’s biggest economic challenge for 2015…
Goss said looking ahead six months, economic optimism, as captured by the January business confidence index, advanced to 61.8 from December’s 58.1. The Creighton Economic Forecasting Group has conducted the monthly survey of supply managers in nine states since 1994 to produce leading economic indicators of the Mid-America economy. States included in the survey are Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.