National manufacturers highlight industry anxiety

Some economists and reports cite 2018 as the year of the manufacturer, with partial credit to the Trump administration’s pro-business policies. For 2019, President Donald Trump again factors into the state of manufacturing — only this time it’s far less positive.

To wit: Optimism reached an all-time high in the four 2018 National Association of Manufacturers outlook surveys. Including the first quarter of 2019, at least 88.7% of respondents to NAM’s quarterly survey characterized the current business outlook as somewhat or very positive for five straight periods.