Over the last few months, there have been a number of surveys indicating that global manufacturing output is increasing.
Last month, the Federal Reserve announced output gains compared to a year ago across multiple manufacturing sectors.
One of the factors behind this positive growth is, I believe, the fact that a number of countries are seeing the value of added skills and intelligence in the manufacturing processes, in essence de-commoditizing their products. With exports and local demand increasing, I get the sense that these countries are increasingly looking inwards, committing to pull themselves out of recession. I see much more products labeled proudly as being domestically made rather than imported. This is a clear pull on public heart strings, in effect appealing to customers interested in contributing to an improved economy. After all, as a consumer, I am far more likely to buy products that are made in my country if the price differential is minimal.
