Ball Bearings worldwide were doing significantly better. Orders of ball bearings were increasing globally. With supply levels remaining high worldwide, ball bearing prices overall were stable and not expected to rise in 2003. Conversely, prices for imports were expected to increase in 2003. As ball bearings from China came into the United States, selling at below market values, the federal government has levied anti-dumping duties of up to 59.3 percent. Lead times for all bearings continued to fall 10 to 20 percent with 60 percent of buyers receiving product within a week, according to one survey. Average lead time was about 2.6 weeks, down 19 percent from one year ago. 

Supply and demand for different ball bearing designs - ball, roller, etc. - can vary based primarily upon the types of applications most prevalent in the country's industrial sector. But because each of the major anti-friction ball bearing designs  is used in such a wide and diverse array of settings, most countries that comprise significant ball bearing markets. 

While the industrialized nations tend to exhibit the largest and most mature (and thus most cyclical) bearings markets, the fastest growing markets are usually found within the developing nations of Asia, Latin America and (to a lesser extent) Africa/Mideast. Many such countries have been reforming and liberalizing their economies in recent years, in order to attract external investment capital and develop and expand their industrial sectors.

Industrial machinery applications dominate the world ball bearings markets, accounting for over half of total global demand. Industrialization programs in developing countries tend to involve substantial amounts of such machinery, and while in many cases these countries import machinery already incorporating bearings, the aftermarket tends to be sizable. The motor vehicle sector comprises the second largest application for anti-friction bearings in value terms, although it is far smaller than its industrial machinery counterparts