NasTrac Quarterly Index Shows Decline in Trucking and Machine Tool Repossessions ...(cations for building permits fell by 1.2...),Health

On the other hand, the Architecture Billings Index, conducted by the American Institute of Architects to track increases or declines in workloads, rose 1.4 points to 43.1 in September, indicating improving business conditions. Additionally, the AIA's new project inquiries index reached its highest level since September 2007 of 59.1, up from 55.2 in August.

Machine Tool Repos Decreased by 55 Percent - Repossessions of machine tool equipment in Q3 2009 dropped by 55 percent as compared to totals for the same quarter in 2008, offering some hope for a sector that may best reflect the true economic condition of the country.

External data supports the perception of some form of turnaround in this sector. According to recent monthly reports by AMT (The Association for Manufacturing Technology) and AMTDA (the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association), U.S. manufacturing technology consumption has risen in three of the last four months. The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) reported in its August 2009 Manufacturing ISM Report on Business that the U.S. manufacturing sector finally achieved growth in August, for the first time in 18 months.

However, the AMT/AMTDA consumption rate for August dropped by almost 15 percent as compared to July and was down 63 percent from the total reported for August 2008. The year-to-date total is down 67.7 percent compared with 2008.

Printing Equipment Repos Rose by 82 Percent in Q3 09 - Printing equipment repossessions continue to rise because that sector faces considerable pressure from the problems faced by many other business markets. Until those areas show improvement, the printing market will remain under duress. Recent analyst reports on companies such as Xerox, Canon and Oce state they are operating in weak mark
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