LMI

The November LMI reading came in at 55.7 (a reading above 50 indicates growth is occurring), following matching 57.4 readings, for both September and October. This represents the ninth straight month the LMI has been below the all-time overall average of 61.4.

The October LMI reading came in at 57.4 (a reading above 50 indicates growth is occurring) for the second consecutive month, matching the September reading. This represents the eighth straight month the LMI has been below the all-time overall average of 61.4.

The September reading, at 57.4 (a reading above 50 indicates growth is occurring), trailed August’s 59.3 by 1.9%, coming in at its lowest level since March and its second-lowest this year—and it is the seventh consecutive month the LMI reading has been below the all-time overall average of 61.5.

In this podcast, Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman interviews Dr. Zac Rogers, Associate Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management at Colorado State University.

The June LMI reading, at 60.7, increased by 1.3% over May’s 59.4, while representing only the third time going back to July 2022 it has cracked the 60 mark—all of which have occurred in 2025, with 2023 and 2024 not making it to that level.

The May LMI reading, at 59.4, marked a 0.6% increase over April’s 55.8, while posting a 5.8% annual gain, as well as a 12.3% increase over May 2023’s 47.3. The impact of the aforementioned increased costs was evident in the report, as its authors explained inventory movements “slowed significantly compared to observations from earlier in the year.

The April LMI reading, at 58.8, marks a 1.6% increase over March’s 57.1 (the lowest reading since August 2024), with its authors calling it a slight uptick, which was preceded by a 5.6% decrease, from February to March. And it added that the April reading is in line with readings seen over the fourth quarter 2024, with the caveat that factors leading to this score, as well as the dynamics of the overall economy, have shifted noticeably since then.

A number of declining data points addressing logistics sector growth patterns, driven by ongoing tariff-driven uncertainty, was apparent in the March 2025 edition of the Logistics Manager’s Index (LMI), which was released this week.

Despite ongoing levels of uncertainty from the White House’s various tariff actions, positive momentum in the logistics sector continues to gain traction for the 14th consecutive month in February according to the new edition of the February 2025 Logistics Manager’s Index (LMI), which was released this week.

December’s LMI reading, at 57.3, is off 1.1% compared to November’s 58.4 reading and is also down compared to October’s 58.9, the fastest monthly rate of expansion going back to September 2022.

The November LMI score came in at 58.4, which is off 0.5% from October’s 58.9, the fastest monthly rate of expansion going back to September 2022—and the 12th month of expansion since a 49.4 reading in November 2023. The September LMI score was 58.6, with growth over the last three months viewed as “highly consistent,” the report stated.