The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) reported that the Electroindustry Business Conditions Index (ECBI), a broad category that focuses on North American electrical industry manufacturers, dropped sharply at the end of 2015. The December ECBI figure was 41.2, down from November’s 58.3.

The report is based on responses provided by 18 panelists, senior managers at NEMA member companies, who predict current and future business conditions. The index for current conditions indicates that more panelists reported that business deteriorated than said that they improved.

Looking ahead to the future, a larger share of panelists reported that they expect business conditions six months from now to improve than predicted that they would worsen. However, the share of panelists who predicted improvements decreased from November to December, causing the future business conditions index to fall from 55.6 to 52.9.

Check back in next month to read the January report.