AMB April Industrial Index: Growth

AMB collects monthly data from a geographically diverse set of customers, representing a range of business sectors, currently moving inventory through the supply chain. Monthly changes are useful for identifying business trends, turning points in customer activity and the way companies are utilizing space, as well as relative changes in markets and industries. The AMB IBI is a leading indicator of macroeconomic conditions.

"Our current findings indicate that economic conditions have improved materially since we released the index in November," said David Twist, AMB's vice president, Research. "We believe that the economy has entered a more diversified stage of recovery and we expect that U.S. GDP will surpass its previous peak from mid-2008 in the latter part of 2010."

Key Findings

-- The April AMB IBI measures 64.8 for overall business activity (over 50
signals expansion). March and April were the two strongest consecutive
months since inception of the index in 2007.
-- We expect business activity to remain elevated throughout 2010 as the
recovery advances.
-- The April AMB IBI implies that the job base should continue to expand in
the coming months.
-- The index forecasts that container volume and air cargo growth are
expected to post double-digit gains in the first half of the year and
net industrial space absorption should be relatively flat.
-- The AMB IBI indicates that industrial space utilization is on the cusp
of expansion, driven by higher production levels, improving imports into
the U.S. and rebuilding of inventories.