In January, the industry of Nuevo León recorded a slight increase in its performance compared to the previous month, but it was not enough to emerge from the contraction zone it was in. According to the Economic Expectations Report of Manufacturing prepared by a business organization, most of the analyzed variables showed an improvement compared to December, although the majority remained in contraction.
Two variables related to inflation were the only ones that remained in the expansion zone both in December and January: product prices and raw material prices. Despite observing an acceleration in manufacturing indicators during January, it was not enough to reverse the contraction trend that has lasted for three months.
Regarding new orders and physical production, they remained in contraction with indicators around 46.7 and 46.3 points respectively. The utilized capacity barely changed, around 47.7 points. Exports and imports improved in January compared to December, but were still at low levels.
As for investments, they continued to decline, with only 21% of companies making purchases of machinery, equipment, or construction, the lowest level since February 2021. Regarding obstacles to better performance, the political landscape was identified as the main barrier, followed by a shortage of skilled personnel, weak economic activity, an adverse international environment, lower external demand, and insecurity.
