Historically, September represents the end of the annual soft order period that typically begins in May. That orders were below the rate of build in September was not unexpected nor out of the ordinary. That said, if the industry is going to maintain current build rates into 2006, stronger orders above the rate of build will be required to replenish depleted backlogs.
Quotes about backlogs (8 Quotes)
Industrial production will strongly contribute to growth in the fourth quarter. Order backlogs have been rising in Germany. There's more than sufficient evidence that one should reduce the amount of accommodation in monetary policy.
We tend to look at this and the Philadelphia index as an indication of what is going on in the overall economy, ... Most disturbing is that order backlogs are running over 50 percent, which is the glorified neutral. It's at 6 percentage points below, that's bad -- it shows companies are cannibalizing orders to move ahead.
In terms of investment banking, in terms of capital markets, in terms of investment management, really everything was very positive. Their outlook statement was also quite positive their backlogs are up compared to where they were last year and they expect to be able to continue to pick up market share.
There is a clear improving trend in orders which provides support for the recovering manufacturing sector, ... Although some of the inventory building that occurred was likely Y2K related and will be reversed in the new year, the acceleration of both shipments and backlogs suggests that the manufacturing recovery has substantial staying power.
Trends look very strong for fixed income, with investment grade issuance up strongly and high yield issuance levels performing well. Equity underwriting has been more mixed in the first quarter, but remains very strong, especially in the U.S., and backlogs have been building.
While housing demand will probably continue to moderate from the torrid pace seen in the last few years, housing starts should remain well-supported in the coming months, as builders' backlogs remain near record levels and rebuilding along the Gulf Coast will eventually boost activity.
A lot of the main components are still showing weakness, ... We still have orders declining, and order backlogs haven't built up to any particular degree. This is the picture of a still-weak manufacturing sector.