Fifth District Survey of Manufacturing Activity: Inventories of raw materials: Future (increase vs decrease; diffusion index; percentage points; seasonally unadjusted) - United States - Richmond FED - Monthly
This series is part of the dataset: Fifth District Survey of Manufacturing Activity (Richmond FED)
Download Full Dataset (.xlsx)Latest updates. According to survey data about manufacturers based in the Fifth District, the seasonally unadjusted diffusion index for inventories of raw materials (share of CEOs seeing a future increase minus share forecasting a decrease) was 0.0 in September 2026, compared to 4.0 in August.
Sample. The monthly series displayed in the chart has 353 data points. The series covers the time span stretching from May 1997 to September 2026.
History. Here's a snapshot of a few statistics we computed on the whole sample: the diffusion index had a mean of -2.2; it recorded its maximum of 16.0 in November 2025; it reached a trough of -27.0 in June 2000.
Latest values
| Date | Value - Percentage points |
|---|---|
| 2026-07-31 | 2.00000 |
| 2026-08-31 | 4.00000 |
| 2026-09-30 | 0 |
Heads-up. To simplify research, we categorize series into data sets and worksheets. When you look below, you will find how we arranged further material related to the statistics published here.
Not for investment purposes. Data series and other information shared on FetchSeries are not suitable for investment purposes or as a basis for making financial decisions. Users should consult professional advice and perform independent analysis before pledging money to any investment.
Series Metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Description | Diffusion index for the question: Will raw materials inventories increase or decrease over the next six months? |
| Country | United States |
| Economic concept | Business survey response |
| Data type | Leading indicator of the business cycle |
| Deflation method | Not applicable |
| Seasonally adjusted | No |
| Rescaling | None |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Unit | Percentage points |
| Source | Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond |
| Source type | Central bank |
| Data licence | Not copyrightable under U.S. law |
| Measure type | Diffusion index (share of respondents reporting an increase minus share reporting a decrease) |
Series in the same data set
Discover the other time series included in this data set.