July 2008
Release Date: 1 August 2008

BOSTON REGION CONTRACTS
Purchasing Managers Index: 42.1
Business Confidence: 53.3

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

Jan  2008  49.9 47.2 42.1 68.9 56.0 30.6 44.9 81.7 51.1 25.0 25.0 30.6

Feb  2008  39.0 29.4 33.1 46.7 56.8 40.6 37.5 77.7 45.7 38.4 25.0 36.6

Mar  2008  41.4 38.4 35.4 49.9 51.0 34.0 50.0 79.6 60.6 27.3 25.0 34.0

Apr  2008  46.5 57.9 33.1 40.8 50.1 52.0 53.1 68.4 43.5 27.0 37.5 27.5

May  2008  41.4 35.0 29.2 59.9 46.6 46.7 37.5 88.7 42.7 21.7 28.1 34.3

Jun  2008  43.9 43.1 33.2 59.4 47.2 37.9 67.6 78.1 54.0 20.6 41.1 37.9

Jul  2008  42.1 43.8 26.8 53.8 45.3 48.0 53.3 77.8 47.3 27.2 23.3 30.8

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".