Credit Managers’ Index (CMI) Archive

The combined Credit Managers’ Index (CMI) improved 0.5 points to 55.2. Stronger favorable factors, particularly gains in Dollar Sales and Dollar Collections, drove the increase, while both the manufacturing and service sectors remained in expansion. However, persistent weakness in Accounts Placed for Collection and growing concerns about payment resistance suggest that cash-flow pressures have not fully eased.

September showed continued expansion as NACM’s seasonally adjusted combined Credit Managers’ Index (CMI) edged up 0.1 points to 54.7. While overall business activity held steady, payment performance weakened, with slower collections and customers taking longer to pay.

A customer that has paid on time for several years could start falling behind in an instant, as every business fluctuates as it responds to changing economic conditions. This seems to be the case in recent months, as credit managers have noted increases in payment delays and requests for new terms. By the numbers: The seasonally adjusted combined Credit Managers’ Index (CMI) declined 1.8 points in August, slipping to 54.6. The driving force of this drop was a deep drop in dollar sales, which had seen sharp positive growth the previous month. Why it matters: Volatility in dollar sales is…

NACM’s seasonally adjusted combined Credit Managers’ Index (CMI) declined 1.8 points to 54.6.

The July CMI delivered encouraging news as strong sales and business activity lifted NACM’s seasonally adjusted combined Credit Managers’ Index (CMI) up 2.9 points to 56.4.

The June Credit Managers’ Index (CMI) showed credit managers across industries grappling with the same problem: more and more customers are asking for extended terms and holding onto their cash for longer. Even the strong, established ones are asking for more time to pay, with one survey respondent noting businesses behaving as they did during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The June CMI tells a familiar story: business is still growing, but it’s becoming more difficult to get paid. NACM’s seasonally adjusted combined Credit Managers’ Index (CMI) fell 1.5 points to 53.5 in June, marking its third straight monthly decline while remaining in expansion territory.

NACM’s seasonally adjusted combined Credit Managers’ Index (CMI) improved 0.5 points to 54.3. “Favorable factors are driving the gain this month, especially the Dollar Sales factor,” said NACM Economist Amy Crews Cutts, Ph.D., CBE®. “Respondents are indicating optimism on new orders but caution that they are still experiencing slow payments and requests for extended terms.” Unfavorable factors fell 0.2 points to 49.7 points, still not moving much above or below the 50-point line, which denotes the break between contraction and expansion. Half of the six unfavorable factors dete…