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 8/7/25 Key Takeaway: The seasonally adjusted Fastener Distributor Index (FDI) continued to move higher in July, reaching 53.1 (June 52.0), reflecting slightly better seasonally-adjusted sales trends and higher employment. The Forward-Looking Indicator (FLI) was even more positive, coming in sharply higher m/m at 57.3 […]
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 […]
Written by R.W. Baird analyst David J. Manthey, CFA with Quinn Fredrickson, CFA 6/6/25 Key Takeaway: The seasonally adjusted Fastener Distributor Index (FDI) saw month-over-month improvement, reaching 50.4 (April 46.9). This reflected improvement in three of the four underlying components (sales, employment and supplier deliveries). The Forward-Looking Indicator (FLI) also improved at 50.2, the first reading above 50 […]
Written by R.W. Baird analyst David J. Manthey, CFA with Quinn Fredrickson, CFA 8/8/24 Key Takeaway: The seasonally adjusted Fastener Distributor Index (FDI) dipped to 47.5, below 50 for the first time since January. While normal summer sluggishness likely played a role, several participants said they saw signs of a broader slowdown beyond just seasonal […]
Written by R.W. Baird analyst David J. Manthey, CFA with Quinn Fredrickson, CFA 6/6/24 Key Takeaway: The seasonally adjusted Fastener Distributor Index (FDI) saw modest m/m improvement, reading 52.9 in May vs. 51.6 in April, and continued to expand (above neutral reading of 50), albeit driven by just one component, supplier deliveries. Commentary was again […]
Written by R.W. Baird analyst David J. Manthey, CFA with Quinn Fredrickson, CFA 5/8/24 Key Takeaway: The seasonally adjusted Fastener Distributor Index (FDI) slightly decelerated m/m but remained in growth territory reading 51.6. Commentary was more mixed this month as some see pockets of significant weakness (construction, OEM, Western US markets), while others see strength […]
Written by R.W. Baird analyst David J. Manthey, CFA with Quinn Fredrickson, CFA 4/3/24 Key Takeaway: The seasonally adjusted Fastener Distributor Index (FDI) expanded further in March, increasing to 53.0, up from 50.5 in February. Demand commentary leaned overall fairly positive but balanced out by a noticeable uptick in comments regarding continued rises in freight/container […]
