Finishing Index Rises Again to 46.4
Broad-based growth across components contributes to encouraging close to 2024.
While a one-point jump may not seem like much at first look, a majority of the Finishing Index’s components saw expansionary (positive) activity. Source (All Images) | Gardner Intelligence
The Gardner Business Index (GBI) measures the current state of finishing industry activity through survey responses covering new orders, production, backlog, employment, exports and supplier deliveries. A reading above 50 indicates expansion; below 50 indicates contraction.
The finishing index rose again in December to 45.4, steadily marching out of contraction and toward expansion territory. Growth was found across the board with five of six index components increasing from November’s reading. Exports were the lone declining component. Supplier deliveries remained the only component above 50, and employment saw its first significant growth since March of 2023 while new orders, production and backlogs built on months-long growth trends.
The GBI Components Scorecard reports the monthly change rate of primary composites market factors contributing to the overall monthly index reading.
Reading the scorecard
Color indicates where a component value falls relative to 50 for the current month. Green indicates expansion; red indicates contraction.
Shade indicates a value’s distance from 50; the darker the shade, the further from 50.
Direction indicates a value’s change versus the previous time period. Pointing up is always better.
The Finishing Index continues its positive trend into 2025.
The GBI Future Business Index is an indicator of the future state of the finishing market from industry respondents regarding their opinion of future business conditions for the next 12 months. Over 50 is expansion and under 50 is contraction.
The Future Business Index registered 68.2 in December, signaling ever-increasing optimism for the finishing industry. The outlook for 2025 not only far exceeds the seasonal uptick Gardner Intelligence expects this time of year, but it also comes sooner than typically registered with previous peaks occurring toward the end of the first quarter.
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