Logistics Market Snapshot - September 2014

On 16 Sep, 2014

Click the image above to view the September 2014 edition of "Logistics Market Snapshot" as submitted by the Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics.

A few selected encouraging statistics pulled from this month's edition are as follows...

  • Area Development Magazine ranked Georgia as the #1 place in the nation in which to do business.  Georgia ranked first for labor climate and second for business environment, overall infrastructure and global access.  This follows recent #1 rankings for "Most Competitive State" from Site Selection Magazine and the "#1 State for Business" by CNBC.  These reports also ranked logistics/transportation in Georgia either number 1 or 2 and cited this as a major factor to the to the overall top rankings!  (Source:  Area Development Magazine)
  • In July, the U.S. exported nearly $198 billion of cargo, the highest on record.  July U.S. exports have increased 0.9% in terms of value over the previous month and rose 4.3% year-over-year.  (Source:  US Census)
  • Airports around the world posted the strongest freight numbers in two years, seeing a 6.7% increase in volumes in July over the same month last year.  North American airports experienced an 8.9% increase in volumes during the month, while Middle Eastern airports saw the largest increase at 12%.  (Source:  Airports Council International)
  • The Consumer Confidence Index increased to 92.4 in August 2014, up 2.1 points from the previous month and the highest since October 2007.  (Source:  The Conference Board)
  • In July, housing starts rose 15.7% and building permits (an indicator of future housing starts) rose 8.1% to an annual rate of 1,052,000.  Year-over-year, housing starts and building permits in July increased 21.7% and 0.9%, respectively.  (Source:  U.S. DOC)
  • Net absorption in the U.S. during Q2 2014 totaled more than +38.2 million square feet.  Atlanta's overall absorption during the 2Q was the highest in the nation, totaling +3.38 million square feet.  (Absorption is the net change in occupied space between two points in time.  Positive absorption means that previously unoccupied space is now being occupied.)  (Source:  Newmark Grubb Knight Frank)
  • Georgia's Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) rose 12.9 points to 61.3 in August.  New orders in Georgia rose 21.4 points to 60.9 and production rose 19.6 points to 69.6.  Georgia's PMI is now 2.3 points above the national PMI (which also rose 1.9 points to 50.9 in August).  (The PMI combines data on new orders, inventory, production, supplier deliveries and employment.  A reading above 50 indicates that the manufacturing economy is generally expanding.)  (Source:  Kennesaw State University)