Economic Survey Suggests Further Slowdown

OMAHA, NE - A survey of supply managers in nine Midwest and Plains states suggests the regional economy will grow slowly over the next three to six months, if at all.

The Business Conditions Index dropped to a growth neutral 50.0 in December from 52.6 in November.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says surveys over the past several months "indicate that slowdowns in the national and global economies are putting downward pressure on the regional economy."

The survey of supply managers and executives uses a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say that any score above 50 suggests growth while a score below 50 suggests decline for that factor. The states are Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.