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Blogs:
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The 160th Anniversary of the Women's Rights Movement
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Friday Morning Notebook
Balanced Ledger:
… more baseball
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Browns Bulletin:
Not that there is anything wrong with that…
Cleveland Browns:
Browns training camp schedule
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Cliff Lee overcomes his own demons this All Star start.
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LaPorta’s true character revealed in collision at plate
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Northwest’s Klatt commits to Michigan State
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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!
By Jeannine Aversa
Associated Press economics writer
POSTED: 11:26 a.m. EDT, May 02, 2008
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.
Inside Ohio.com
F.Y.I.
It's Hobo Weekend in Summit County
Hobo-themed events Friday through Sunday at Deep Lock Quarry Metro Park in Peninsula
