Fastener Distributor Index – Report #168 December 2025 Written by R.W. Baird analyst David J. Manthey, CFA with Quinn Fredrickson, CFA 1/9/26 Key Takeaway: This month, the seasonally adjusted Fastener Distributor Index (FDI) jumped to 56.4 (vs. November 50.01), reflecting improvement across most components of the FDI (sales, supplier deliveries, and customer inventories), aided by a favorable […]
Fastener Distributor Index – Report #167 November 2025 Written by R.W. Baird analyst David J. Manthey, CFA with Quinn Fredrickson, CFA 12/5/25 Key Takeaway: This month, the seasonally adjusted Fastener Distributor Index (FDI) retreated to just below 50, coming in at 49.5. The m/m pullback (October 55.3) mainly reflected a retrenchment in the seasonally adjusted sales index. […]
Fastener Distributor Index – Report #166 October 2025 Written by R.W. Baird analyst David J. Manthey, CFA with Quinn Fredrickson, CFA 11/6/25 Key Takeaway: Coming off a 2025 high, the seasonally adjusted Fastener Distributor Index (FDI) was slightly lower m/m but mostly stable at 55.3 (September 55.8). On a seasonally adjusted basis, the selling index was […]
Fastener Distributor Index – Report #165 September 2025 Written by R.W. Baird analyst David J. Manthey, CFA with Quinn Fredrickson, CFA 10/7/25 Key Takeaway: The seasonally adjusted Fastener Distributor Index (FDI) saw solid m/m improvement to 55.8 (August 51.3). Stronger sales and customer inventories drove the improvement. The Forward-Looking Indicator (FLI), however, dipped for the […]
Written by R.W. Baird analyst David J. Manthey, CFA with Quinn Fredrickson, CFA 9/8/25 Key Takeaway: The seasonally adjusted Fastener Distributor Index (FDI) moderated sequentially but still stayed at an expansionary level, coming in at 51.3 (July 53.1). This reflected moderation in the sales index and slightly lower employment levels. The Forward-Looking Indicator (FLI) also normalized a […]
Written by R.W. Baird analyst David J. Manthey, CFA with Quinn Fredrickson, CFA 7/7/25 Key Takeaway: The seasonally adjusted Fastener Distributor Index (FDI) improved sequentially for the second consecutive month, reaching 52.0 (May 50.4), reflecting re-acceleration in sales and customer inventories. However, the Forward-Looking Indicator (FLI) fell back below 50, landing at 47.4 (vs. May’s 50.2), consistent […]
This edition of the Fastener Training Minute with Carmen Vertullo was originally published September 20th, 2024 as “The high-strength fastener material of the future, property class 16.8 Bainite” during episode 204 of Fully Threaded Radio. Well hello everyone, this is Carmen Vertullo with your Fastener Training Minute, coming to you from Fastener Training Institute and […]
Read More… from FTM 204 – Bainite, the new fastener material
This edition of the Fastener Training Minute with Carmen Vertullo was originally published August 16th, 2024 as “The problems of substituting various fastener grades of stainless steel bolting in joints involving flanges and gaskets” during episode 203 of Fully Threaded Radio. Well hello everyone, this is Carmen Vertullo with your Fastener Training Minute, coming to you […]
Read More… from FTM 203 – Stainless steel bolting with gasketed flanges
This edition of the Fastener Training Minute with Carmen Vertullo was originally published July 20th, 2024 as “What is the difference between macro hardness testing and micro hardness testing during episode 202 of Fully Threaded Radio. Well hello everyone, this is Carmen Vertullo with the Fastener Training Minute, coming to you from Fastener Training Institute and […]
Read More… from FTM 202 – The difference between macro and micro hardness testing
Written by R.W. Baird analyst David J. Manthey, CFA with Quinn Fredrickson, CFA 7/8/24 Key Takeaway: The seasonally adjusted Fastener Distributor Index (FDI) saw a slight m/m decline, 52.1 vs. 52.9 in May, but remained in expansionary territory (>50). Commentary was mixed as some saw good order trends, while others characterized June as fairly weak. […]
