The economies of nine Midwestern states, including Missouri, continue to show signs of stagnation, according to a monthly survey of supply managers by Creighton University.

On the zero-to-100 scale, a score of 50 is considered growth-neutral, the midway point between an economy growing or shrinking. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss blames some of the downturn on tariffs and how they’re affecting manufacturing.

“The manufacturing economy is moving sideways, and there’s little doubt about that,” Goss said. “A lot of it, what you’re seeing with the imports for example, the president’s trade policies, in my judgment, they’re having a negative impact on our surveys.”

Looking ahead six months, the region’s Business Confidence Index fell from a score of 50 in June to below 43 in July.

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