Faint signs of life? Manufacturing sector activity rose slightly in March… the surprising thing is it’s actually the third month in a row:
Manufacturing sector activity rose slightly in March, inching up for a third month, but the index reading still indicates an ongoing contraction, a purchasing managers’ group said Monday.
The Tempe, Ariz.-based Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) manufacturing index rose to 36.3 in March, up from 35.8 the previous month.
The reading beat estimates from economists, who expected a slight increase to 36, according to a Briefing.com consensus survey.
Source: CNN Money
Add to that better than expected housing and auto sales data and we saw another solid day on the Dow and world markets.
Source: WSJ Online
It possibly indicates the growing trend of alternative usage of manufacturing equipment as traditional consumer demand remains low.
