Economy
NY Manufacturing Index Shows Increased Momentum
Written by Sandy Williams
August 14, 2019
Despite concerns over trade wars and recession, the Empire State Manufacturing Index expanded in August.
The index from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York showed modest improvement in August, beating economists’ expectations. The general business index rose for a second month, increasing to 4.8 from 4.3 in July.
“New orders increased after declining for the prior two months, and shipments continued to expand,” said the NY Fed. “Unfilled orders fell, delivery times were steady and inventories increased. The employment and average workweek indexes were both slightly below zero, pointing to sluggishness in labor market conditions.”
Firms were not as optimistic in August as they were in July. The index for future business conditions fell five points to 25.7 along with a predicted decline in future new orders.
Sandy Williams
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