The Perc Report includes monthly highlights on the most up-to-date plastics industry economic data, along with recent activities, articles, and blogs which you may have missed.
The Perc Report includes monthly highlights on the most up-to-date plastics industry economic data, along with recent activities, articles, and blogs which you may have missed.
The U.S. prime borrowing rate, set 300 basis points above the Fed funds rate, fell to 8.0% after a 50-basis-point cut by the Federal Reserve on September 19, 2024.
Mortgage application volume rose by 11.0% on a seasonally adjusted basis the week ending September 20, compared to the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.
The average hourly earnings of all employees in manufacturing rose by 4.9% in August year-over-year.
Automobiles and light truck sales in August were 15.1 million units, at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, down from 15.8 million units in July. Over the same period, automobiles and light truck assemblies increased to 10.7 million units from 9.1 million units.
Retail sales at health and personal care stores rose by 0.7% in August month-over-month and by 3.5% year-over-year.
Plastics demand dipped by 1.0% in July to $22.5 billion but increased by 0.9% compared to July last year. Access the July Plastics Demand Estimate here link: here.
The Industrial Production Index for plastic products manufacturing fell by 1.3% in August from July and was down 2.2% compared to a year earlier.
The capacity utilization rate for plastics material and resin manufacturing dropped from 83.0% in June to 79.0% in July.
Manufacturers’ inventories of materials and supplies for plastics and rubber products remained unchanged in July at an estimated $14.3 billion for the third consecutive month.
U.S. imports of injection-type molds for rubber or plastics, not elsewhere specified or identified under HTS 8480.71.8045, rose by 41.1% in July to 182,928 units from June. Year-to-date imports totaled 2,346,596 units, were up 33.0% compared to the same period last year.
The Producer Price Index for nonpackaging unlaminated polyethylene has been added to the PLASTICS website industry data section. PLASTICS industry data covers 90 datasets for easy access to members.
