The Gardner Business Index (GBI): Finishing moved only marginally lower in February as five of the Index’s six components reported either slowing growth or, in the case of exports, contracting activity. The index was largely supported by a 2-point gain in the supplier delivery reading. In the six-month period through February, many business activity types including new orders, production and employment have generally reported modestly quickening expansion. Measures of backlog and export orders activity have been more muted over this period while supplier delivery readings have soared into uncharted territory. The reading for supplier deliveries -which moves higher as order-to-fulfillment times lengthen- has set three consecutive all-time high readings as of the February reading.