Featured Image

Fed Holds Rates Steady Amid Rising Demand for Manufacturing Technology

Today the Federal Reserve announced they would hold benchmark rates at a target range of 4.25% to 4.50% in a widely anticipated move. This is the first meeting where the Fed held rates steady since they began to cut rates in September 2024.
Jan 29, 2025

McLean, Va. (January 29, 2025) — Today the Federal Reserve announced they would hold benchmark rates at a target range of 4.25% to 4.50% in a widely anticipated move. This is the first meeting where the Fed held rates steady since they began to cut rates in September 2024.

“Since the Fed began cutting rates in September, we have seen an uptick in orders for manufacturing technology,” said Christopher Chidzik, principal economist of AMT - The Association for Manufacturing Technology. “Unlike previous rate-hiking cycles, demand for manufacturing technology was overwhelmingly concentrated in the beginning leading to a mid-expansion drop-off. The business conditions the Fed cited of strong labor markets and dwindling inflation are the opportune setting for a continued rebound of manufacturing technology orders in 2025.”

The next U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders (USMTO) report published by AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology with data on metalworking machinery orders through December 2024 will be published on Monday, February 10.

###

Members of AMT – The Association for Manufacturing Technology build and sell metalworking machinery, commonly know as machine tools, as well as the workholding, tooling, inspection equipment and automation integral to modern manufacturing.

PicturePicture
Author
Kristin Bartschi
Director, Marketing & Communications
Recent intelligence News
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis released their first estimate of GDP for the fourth quarter of 2024. According to the first estimate, GDP grew 2.3% at an annualized rate. This was driven by strong consumer demand but held back by lagging investment.
Just as early humans’ original tools were constrained by their power sources, today’s modern technological advances are limited by their access to sufficient and reliable supplies of electricity.
Any move by the Federal Reserve that keeps the economy growing at or above its current pace would spur additional investment in manufacturing technology given the currently elevated capacity utilization levels.
This article will explore how demand for automation responded to historic shifts, the impact on manufacturing jobs, and what impacts these shifting trends have had on productivity.
In much the same way that the Fed was able to reduce interest rates in 1995 to allow the economy to continue expanding for the remainder of the decade, today’s Fed may be engineering a so-called “soft landing,".
Similar News
undefined
Intelligence
By Kristin Bartschi | Jan 30, 2025

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis released their first estimate of GDP for the fourth quarter of 2024. According to the first estimate, GDP grew 2.3% at an annualized rate. This was driven by strong consumer demand but held back by lagging investment.

2 min
undefined
Intelligence
By Kristin Bartschi | Jan 30, 2025

The MFG Meeting, the annual leadership conference of AMT, in partnership with NTMA, will feature a future-facing lineup of speakers. Attendees will hear from speakers from Google Cloud, Nvidia, Wolfspeed, ITR Economics, BlueForge Alliance, and more.

5 min
undefined
Smartforce
By Kristin Bartschi | Sep 11, 2023

AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology and SME announced a strategic partnership today, making bigger strides together toward solving North America’s manufacturing workforce challenges.

4 min