May 2012
Release Date: 1 June 2012

BOSTON REGION CONTRACTION SLOWS
Purchasing Managers Index: 41.4
Business Confidence: 64.2

Boston Index  Trend   New Orders  Trend   Production  Trend   Employment  Trend   Supplier Deliveries  Trend   Raw Materials Inventory  Trend   Business Confidence  Trend   Commodity Prices  Trend   Product Prices  Trend   New Export Orders  Trend   Order Backlog  Trend   Finished Goods Inventories  Trend

Jun  2011  53.5 65.2 31.4 64.1 66.8 33.0 66.6 68.0 85.1 16.7 50.0 33.0

Jul  2011  36.2 30.3 15.1 61.7 53.3 30.8 44.9 71.0 35.5 10.2 15.0 20.5

Aug  2011  46.4 52.5 31.8 53.3 57.7 34.8 50.0 73.8 30.3 18.5 18.1 21.8

Sep  2011  44.0 39.1 19.5 75.7 58.7 35.0 60.0 56.7 42.5 15.0 44.9 35.0

Oct  2011  50.5 67.0 42.7 65.7 33.1 16.7 75.0 39.8 39.8 0.0 16.6 16.7

Nov  2011  48.6 54.5 31.2 70.2 49.1 31.1 80.0 55.9 46.6 0.0 40.0 31.1

Dec  2011  38.4 55.1 17.9 42.6 42.2 26.3 58.3 32.5 40.6 24.8 25.0 26.3

Jan  2012  53.2 78.7 26.3 70.6 42.4 25.5 83.3 51.1 51.1 8.3 50.0 17.0

Feb  2012  40.6 50.5 19.9 61.2 42.0 19.5 60.0 54.8 54.8 0.0 20.0 29.2

Mar  2012  48.0 58.7 19.8 79.9 51.0 19.0 70.0 42.4 42.4 0.0 50.0 28.5

Apr  2012  39.4 61.8 0.0 67.0 50.1 0.0 83.3 49.8 33.2 0.0 33.3 0.0

May  2012  41.4 33.3 26.7 79.3 49.7 14.2 64.2 60.0 60.0 14.1 21.4 0.0

This report is based on a survey of a sampling of Purchasing Management Association of Boston members that queries whether a particular economic indicator is better, the same, or worse than the previous month. The response on each item is tabulated into a diffusion index that is calculated as the percent "better" plus one-half of the percent "same".