North american manufacturers report sharp pullback due to tariffs, while asian suppliers run at full tilt: gep global supply chain volatility index

In march, global supply chains spare capacity increased to highest level since may 2020, the height of the covid-19 pandemic, indicating rapidly worsening conditions for global manufacturers factories in the u.s., mexico and canada retrenched sharply in march due to tariffs, with purchasing activity down the most in canada uk supplier activity contracting at a rate that has only ever been surpassed twice previously in the last 25 years, signaling considerable manufacturing weakness clark, n.j. , april 10, 2025 /prnewswire/ -- gep global supply chain volatility index — a leading indicator tracking demand conditions, shortages, transportation costs, inventories, and backlogs based on a monthly survey of 27,000 businesses — decreased for a third successive month in march to -0.51 and posted its lowest value in almost five years, indicating the highest degree of spare capacity across global supply chains since the height of the covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
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