Can the momentum in the manufacturing sector be sustained, with prices rising further over the near-term? To be sure, the rise in prices highlighted by the four-month rally in our Materials Price Index does indicate the worst of the recession globally is over. But the continuing increase in COVID-19 case counts globally, and the re-imposition of containment measures even in regions that had seemingly beat-back the pandemic, underscores what is likely to be the start-stop pattern to growth.
Commodity prices have staged an impressive rebound between April and mid-August. As measured by our Materials Price