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Latest In Research
A new survey from the National Association of Waterfront Employers found U.S. ports will need $6.7 billion in cargo handling equipment investments through 2031, including more than 100 new ship-to-shore cranes, as operators look to modernize terminals and maintain supply chain competitiveness.
We kick off our new "The Hidden Majority" article series with one that focuses on the small- to mid-sized results from the latest Baird-MDM survey combined with our AI research from earlier this year. This piece explores why pricing and margin optimization remain the industry’s biggest untapped AI opportunity — especially for sub-$100M distributors.
U.S. housing starts declined in April as single-family construction slowed, while building permits rebounded month-over-month amid continued volatility in residential construction activity.
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Order value jumped both monthly and year-over-year, helped by inflation and buyers looking to get inventory ahead of further price increases.
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Durables production increased 1.2% in April month-over-month, with gains in most categories.
Core inflation likewise jumped, while a major increase in the index for final demand services was driven by widened margins for machinery and equipment wholesalers.
Surging energy prices continue to skew top-line CPI results, while core inflation was above market expectations. Get the key numbers and charts here.
While inflation is a major tailwind, a sustained increase in average order value above inflation continues to point to increased demand.
Frontloading on petroleum products ahead of price shocks tied to the Iran war skewed the industry's overall figures, but here, view product vertical-specific figures for monthly and year-over-year sales, inventories and inventory/sales ratios pulled from the Census Bureau's latest wholesale trade report.
Solid housing construction spend more than offset a second straight nonres decline. Get the full numbers and growth/decline changes here.
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Same-day sales were up mid-single digits vs. February alongside a solid year-over-year gain.
ISM shared that 19% of the manufacturing sector’s GDP contracted in April, compared to 16% in March.
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Government spending and private investment increased sequentially, and AI-related spending helped drive strong growth in business investment in equipment and structures.
It suggests solid growth for homebuilding throughout 1Q26 and into April.
