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Kansas City Fed Manufacturing activity fell only slightly
Tenth District manufacturing activity fell only slightly in April, and firms generally expect stable conditions in the months ahead. Price indexes in the survey continued to ease, with several indexes at historically low levels.
The net percentage of firms reporting month-over-month increases in production in April was -6, up from -21 in March and -24 in February. Production indexes increased at both durable and non-durable-goods producing plants, with the largest increases reported from chemicals, machinery, and food manufacturers. Most other month-over-month indexes showed similar improvements but still remained in negative territory. The shipments index increased from -15 to -6, and the new orders and order backlog indexes also rose marginally. The employment index climbed from -41 to -23, while the new orders for exports index remained unchanged. Both inventory indexes edged up slightly.
Posted: April 30, 2009 Thursday 11:00 AM