Leadership is about action, not potential. Global Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) data shows that it is the USA, not China, that is leading the world out of the slowdown.

Maybe the term SHOULD be U-BRIC

Here are 5 reasons that PMI data is relevant evidence for your analysis

  • PMI is a reliable fact-based indicator as opposed to opinion or confidence-based indicators.
  • PMI is produced monthly, faster than comparable official data series.
  • PMI covers almost all private sector economic activity in many countries (including the all-important service sectors).
  • PMI are not revised after publication.
  • PMI are produced using the same methodology in all countries where they are produced- assuring comparability.

While we associate the PMI data with the Institute for Supply Management, the fact is that Markit Economics is the firm doing the actual surveys and reporting.

How do you read the above PMI Data?

Graph

MARKIT

I went to the U.S. Government’s  Bureau of Economic Analysis Site the other day looking for some information on imports and exports of manufactured goods.
However, when I saw the data for General Imports of Crude Oil by Country, what I saw stopped me in my tracks. (in the supplement, Exhibit 3,  page 35 of 47 in the .pdf.)

Oil Drums
We use a lot of oil...

Here are the top 10 foreign suppliers of petroleum to the U.S. Figures cited are in thousands of barrels, and are for the month of August 2009 from Supplement Exhibit 3:

Canada               60,714
Venezuela           36,247
Mexico                 32,007
Saudi Arabia        27,675
Nigeria                 26,806
Iraq                      14,579
Algeria                  10,945
Angola                    8,761
Brazil                      8,388
Colombia                7,741

Venezuela is our number 2 supplier?
Nigeria is number 5.
Iraq is 6th, and Angola and Colombia make the top ten?
Quick!  Can you name  any U.S. companies that manufacture solar panels  here in North America? A technology that might just help us replace the need for imported petroleum in our daily lives?
Can you name any North American companies that manufacture lithium-ion batteries?
What do you make of these facts?
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