Purchasing Managers Composite Index

After slowing for two months, the economy turned mixed in April, the National Assn. of Purchasing Management said Sunday. The purchasing managers' group said new orders--a leading indicator of future production--rose in the latest monthly survey to their highest level since June. In addition, production maintained the healthy pace of March, the group said. In contrast, inventory and employment showed no change from their low levels in March, the group said.

The nation's manufacturing economy in October sank into its deepest slump since the Gulf War recession, as fallout from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks did more damage to an already weakened sector. Hopes that free-spending consumers would keep the broader economy afloat were likewise dashed as spending dropped by the largest amount in 15 years. The Commerce Department said Thursday that consumer spending dropped 1.8% in September. That was double what experts had expected after a 0.

In a sharp about-face from their generally upbeat attitude at the end of 1992, manufacturers in Orange County spent the first quarter this year paring down operations in anticipation of more tough times, a new survey shows. In its worst reading since the end of 1991, the Orange County Purchasing Managers' index of manufacturing activity plunged to 44.4 for the first quarter, well below the no-growth level of 50. By comparison, the National Assn.

A measure of U.S. non-manufacturing business rose in February for the first time in three months, a sign the economy may be starting to rebound after stalling at the beginning of the year. The National Assn. of Purchasing Management said Monday that its non-manufacturing business index rose to 51.7 from January's 50.1, which was the lowest since the report's inception in July 1997. A reading above 50 means activity is expanding, while below 50 indicates contraction.

Manufacturing in Orange County has been at the top of the economy's hit list since the beginning of the 1990 recession, but the economy appears finally to have stopped taking aim at this key sector of the business community. Local manufacturers said their businesses grew during the second quarter, economists at Chapman University report in their latest survey of purchasing managers at 80 Orange County-based manufacturing plants.

Manufacturers in Orange County had one of their best post-recession quarters in the July-September period with increased productivity and a decline in layoffs, according to a report issued Monday. The good news, from Chapman University's quarterly purchasing manager survey, comes at a time when a number of negative economic signals have sounded. Unemployment for September rose slightly to 6% from 5.

The government's main forecasting gauge for the economy stalled and building activity barely edged higher in August, the Commerce Department said Tuesday, raising fears that the sputtering recovery could run out of gas. A separate private report on manufacturing, which accounts for about one-fifth of all economic activity, showed that the industrial sector again expanded in September, but that the pace of improvement may be losing steam.

Consumer confidence fell for the second straight month in August as interest rates rose, but economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew for the seventh consecutive month, according to two reports released Tuesday. The Conference Board, a private business group, said its consumer confidence index, which measures consumers' willingness to spend, edged down 0.4 point, less than analysts expected, to 135.8 from a revised 136.

A measure of U.S. non-manufacturing business rose in February for the first time in three months, a sign the economy may be starting to rebound after stalling at the beginning of the year. The National Assn. of Purchasing Management said Monday that its non-manufacturing business index rose to 51.7 from January's 50.1, which was the lowest since the report's inception in July 1997. A reading above 50 means activity is expanding, while below 50 indicates contraction.

Asia's economic crisis took another bite out of U.S. manufacturing in May as exports faltered and cheap imports pressured factory profits, an industry report showed Monday. The National Assn. of Purchasing Management's index declined to 51.4 last month from 52.9 in April. May's drop was the second straight, leading to the lowest reading since October 1996. The data suggest a more subdued pace of growth in manufacturing. Separately, construction spending rose 0.8% in April to $630.

U.S. manufacturers have become significantly less optimistic about the economic outlook for the next 12 months and see scant growth in capital spending, reinforcing concern the economy may lose more momentum in the months ahead. A semiannual survey of the nation's purchasing executives by the National Assn. of Purchasing Management showed Tuesday that, after shrinking in recent months, the outlook for the U.S. manufacturing sector next year is bleak.

The nation's manufacturing sector registered further growth in April, though at a slightly slower pace than the month before, while the increase in prices for raw materials also moderated. Yet the figures Monday from the National Assn.

A new report Wednesday showed manufacturing activity picked up its pace in February, registering its 13th straight month of growth. The National Assn. of Purchasing Management said its index, which is a key gauge of strength in the U.S. manufacturing sector, rose to 56.9 in February, up from 56.3 in January and ahead of the 56.8 reading in December.

U.S. manufacturing growth slowed in December but prices companies paid for raw materials rose, indicating that the economy may be near a plateau, the National Assn. of Purchasing Management said Monday. The NAPM Purchasing Managers' Index, a measure of overall strength in the factory sector, eased to 55.5 in December from 56.2 in November. The prices index, closely watched as a barometer of inflation, rose to 65.7 from 65.3.

Consumer confidence fell for the second straight month in August as interest rates rose, but economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew for the seventh consecutive month, according to two reports released Tuesday. The Conference Board, a private business group, said its consumer confidence index, which measures consumers' willingness to spend, edged down 0.4 point, less than analysts expected, to 135.8 from a revised 136.

The National Assn. of Purchasing Management is expected to report today that an index of U.S. manufacturing orders, production and other activity signals that factories are recovering from last year's export slump. The purchasing managers index is expected to rise to 54.5 from 54.3 in March. A reading above 50 suggests manufacturing is expanding.

The nation's manufacturing sector registered further growth in April, though at a slightly slower pace than the month before, while the increase in prices for raw materials also moderated. Yet the figures Monday from the National Assn.

A new report Wednesday showed manufacturing activity picked up its pace in February, registering its 13th straight month of growth. The National Assn. of Purchasing Management said its index, which is a key gauge of strength in the U.S. manufacturing sector, rose to 56.9 in February, up from 56.3 in January and ahead of the 56.8 reading in December.

Manufacturing activity dropped in December to its lowest level in nearly eight years, as weakening domestic demand added to the global turmoil that has hindered American exports, the National Assn. of Purchasing Management said Monday. The industry group reported that its monthly index of business activity fell to 45.1% in December, the lowest level since May 1991. The results surprised economists, who had predicted the index would rise slightly from its November level of 46.8%.

Asia's economic crisis took another bite out of U.S. manufacturing in May as exports faltered and cheap imports pressured factory profits, an industry report showed Monday. The National Assn. of Purchasing Management's index declined to 51.4 last month from 52.9 in April. May's drop was the second straight, leading to the lowest reading since October 1996. The data suggest a more subdued pace of growth in manufacturing. Separately, construction spending rose 0.8% in April to $630.