Container Top
Homes   Jobs   Cars   Shopping
Search

Events Calendar

EVENT SEARCH:

In This Section


Most Read Stories


Blogs:


Akron Law Café:
The 160th Anniversary of the Women's Rights Movement

The Heldenfiles:
Friday Morning Notebook

Balanced Ledger:
… more baseball

Patrick McManamon:
An online conversation …

Browns Bulletin:
Not that there is anything wrong with that…

Cleveland Browns:
Browns training camp schedule

Cleveland Indians:
Cliff Lee overcomes his own demons this All Star start.

Akron Aeros:
LaPorta’s true character revealed in collision at plate

Akron Zips:
Northwest’s Klatt commits to Michigan State

Varsity Letters:
Wadsworth’s Cline signs at Mount Union

Kent State Sports:
Jarvis on Maxwell watch list

Ohio Politics:
Obama Focused On Women In Ohio

All Da King's Men:
Wanted: One President, No Experience Required

Blog of Mass Destruction:
6 Degrees of Executive Privilege Separation

Akrocentric:
Charles Taormina discusses "Acceptance of Individual Authors," self-publishing resources

Akron Gamer:
Midnight Madness

BokBluster:
Go With the Flow

Ohio Travels with Betty:
Are there caves to explore on Lake Erie's islands?

Olympic Dreams - Running:
Back to Phase One

Sound Check:
John Mayer at Blossom

Tia's Trends:
The Montague's and Their Chocolate Factory!

Factory orders up 1.4 percent in March

By Jeannine Aversa
Associated Press economics writer

WASHINGTON: U.S. factories saw demand for their products rebound in March, following a two-month slump.

The Commerce Department reported today that orders placed with U.S. manufacturers rose 1.4 percent in March. That was an improvement from the 0.9 percent dip reported in February and the 2.3 percent drop in January.

The latest snapshot of manufacturing activity was better than many economists were forecasting. They were predicting a smaller, 0.2 percent rise in orders.

Most of the pickup in March came from ''nondurable'' goods — a broad category including food, paper products, and petroleum and coal products. Orders for nondurables rose 2.6 percent in March, following a 1.1 percent drop in February. Higher prices factored into the rise.

Meanwhile, demand for ''durable'' goods, big-ticket items, including airplanes, machinery and cars, edged up 0.1 percent in March, compared with a 0.6 percent decline in the previous month.

A more forward-looking report, released Thursday, said that manufacturing activity contracted in April. The Institute for Supply Management said its manufacturing barometer held steady at 48.6 last month, unchanged from March. A reading below 50 indicates contraction, while a reading above 50 signals growth.

Factories — especially those making things related to housing — have been hit hard by the collapse of the once high-flying housing market. Demand at home for building materials and furnishings has taken a hit.

On the other hand, U.S. exports of goods and services has been thriving, one of the main reasons why the economy managed to keep afloat in the first three months of this year. The falling value of the dollar has made U.S. merchandise less expensive and thus more attractive to foreign buyers.

Still, U.S. factories are managing to meet customers' demands with fewer workers.

A Labor Department report released today showed that manufacturers continued to shed jobs, cutting 46,000 in April alone.

WASHINGTON: U.S. factories saw demand for their products rebound in March, following a two-month slump.

The Commerce Department reported today that orders placed with U.S. manufacturers rose 1.4 percent in March. That was an improvement from the 0.9 percent dip reported in February and the 2.3 percent drop in January.

The latest snapshot of manufacturing activity was better than many economists were forecasting. They were predicting a smaller, 0.2 percent rise in orders.

Most of the pickup in March came from ''nondurable'' goods — a broad category including food, paper products, and petroleum and coal products. Orders for nondurables rose 2.6 percent in March, following a 1.1 percent drop in February. Higher prices factored into the rise.

Meanwhile, demand for ''durable'' goods, big-ticket items, including airplanes, machinery and cars, edged up 0.1 percent in March, compared with a 0.6 percent decline in the previous month.

A more forward-looking report, released Thursday, said that manufacturing activity contracted in April. The Institute for Supply Management said its manufacturing barometer held steady at 48.6 last month, unchanged from March. A reading below 50 indicates contraction, while a reading above 50 signals growth.

Factories — especially those making things related to housing — have been hit hard by the collapse of the once high-flying housing market. Demand at home for building materials and furnishings has taken a hit.

On the other hand, U.S. exports of goods and services has been thriving, one of the main reasons why the economy managed to keep afloat in the first three months of this year. The falling value of the dollar has made U.S. merchandise less expensive and thus more attractive to foreign buyers.

Still, U.S. factories are managing to meet customers' demands with fewer workers.

A Labor Department report released today showed that manufacturers continued to shed jobs, cutting 46,000 in April alone.



Story tools

Email  Email   Print  Print   Save  Save   Reprint  Reprint   Popular  Most Popular   Reprint  Subscribe

Share this story

AddThis Social Bookmark Button