The Index of Manufacturing Industry (IMI) is a measure of the overall health of the manufacturing sector in a country. It is a composite indicator that incorporates data on various factors including:

Key Components:

• New Orders: This component reflects the level of new manufacturing orders received by manufacturers. It is a key indicator of future production activity.
• Manufacturing Hours: This component measures the number of hours that manufacturers are operating their facilities. It is an indicator of production capacity utilization.
• Factory Orders: This component tracks the number of orders for the production of goods in the current month. It is an indicator of demand for manufactured goods.
• Finished Goods Inventory: This component measures the level of finished goods inventory held by manufacturers. It is an indicator of supply and demand balance.

Formula:

The MIM is calculated using the following formula:

IMI = 100 - ((100 - New Orders Index) / 2) + (100 - Manufacturing Hours Index) / 2 + (100 - Factory Orders Index) / 2 + (100 - Finished Goods Inventory Index) / 2

Interpretation:

The MIM is a valuable tool for monitoring the overall health of the manufacturing sector. It provides a snapshot of the sector’s current performance and can be used to forecast future trends. A high MIM indicates a strong manufacturing sector, while a low MIM indicates a weakened sector.

Additional Considerations:

• The MIM is typically published monthly by government agencies or private research organizations.
• The MIM is usually seasonally adjusted to remove irregular fluctuations.
• The MIM is a key indicator of economic growth and can be used to gauge the overall health of a country’s economy.

Here are some additional resources on the Index of Manufacturing Industry:

• U.S. ISM Index
• Eurostat MIM
• Central Bank of Ireland MIM