Buying Mood and Optimism Bounce Back

These results from March indicate that respondents are beginning to feel more optimistic about our general economy.

Since last May, “Modern Machine Shop” has been conducting a 30-second survey. Every two months, this survey invited a random selection of 4,000 readers to answer simple questions about their outlook on the general economy and their own businesses, plus a question about the likelihood of buying new machine tools or equipment. The latest survey (March 2010) showed the highest results for “much more optimistic” and “somewhat more optimistic” in regards to the general economy since the survey series began. Likewise, when respondents answered the question about their likelihood of buying capital equipment in the next 12 months, “somewhat likely” got the highest score of all the surveys. More than 11 percent said they are “very likely” to buy.

Are boom times for users and builders of metalworking equipment around the corner? Probably not, but prospects are definitely looking brighter.