The latest Credit Managers’ Index (CMI), published by the National Association of Credit Management (NACM), built upon the optimism from October’s CMI, when respondents shook off the government crisis in Washington to deliver the index’s best figures in over a year and a half. November’s readings, available now on NACM‘s website, pushed to a high not seen yet this decade and signify a newfound stability in businesses’ attitudes on the economy as well as a greater sense of security in their investments.
“There is a real sense that credit is more available than it has been in some time, which bodes well for the coming year,” said NACM Economist Chris Kuehl, PhD. “This is not to say that a shock to the economy would not force a decline, but more resilience has formed than has been the case in some time.”
Though there were negative seasonal issues at play within some favorable factors, sales almost single-handedly kept that side of the index somewhat stable. The noteworthy improvement was experienced in the unfavorable factors index (rejections of credit applications, accounts placed for collection). Also noteworthy is that CMI statistics suggest consumers, despite some studies that indicate the contrary, have gained enthusiasm.
“As retail sales and traffic numbers suggest, people are saying one thing, but doing another,” Kuehl said of increasing buying activity. He added that overall message from the unfavorable factors is that business does not seem to be in real distress at the moment. In short, most businesses are heading into 2014 on stable ground.
To view the full November CMI report, visit http://web.nacm.org/cmi/cmi.asp.
Source: National Association of Credit Management (NACM)
