Abstract:
The Northwest Indiana Coincident Index grew by 0.2 points over March to 144.2, an increase of 0.01%. Steel production grew by approximately 136,000 net tons in March, a month-over-month increase of 7.3%. Retail sales rose a modest 0.1%, up 4.8% from one year ago and 0.7% year-to-date. Northwest Indiana added roughly 2,500 jobs over the month (roughly +0.9%), typical for the season. Average weekly manufacturing hours dipped slightly by 0.1 to 41.8, largely unchanged from one year ago.