Events Calendar
In This Section
Wedding ring found in dump amid 10 tons of trash
Mangini says Quinn to start for Browns
Crews search home next to one where bodies found
Coventry woman abducted at gunpoint; ex-boyfriend arrested after 100-mph chase
Former ODOT official from Summit County indicted
Most Read Stories
Chapel Hill isn't rolling right along
New eateries expand menu of options
Akron City Council OKs higher speed on I-77
Coventry woman abducted at gunpoint; ex-boyfriend arrested after 100-mph chase
Patrick McManamon: Here's what the Browns should try the rest of the season
Suitcase causes bomb scare at Akron bus terminal
Stark County engineer dies at 49
Man says he was punched, robbed by 3 people in parking lot
Motorcyclist killed, wife injured in Stark County crash
Shaquille O'Neal, wife splitting up
Family found dead in Ohio home
Blogs:
Pets:
First Person: Inside St. Louis Pit Bull Shelter
The Heldenfiles:
Tuesday Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
Allen Iverson to the Cavs? Stop the madness!
Akron Zips:
Interview with a Temple blogger
Tribe Matters:
Indians announce spring dates
Cleveland Browns:
Quinn tabbed to start against Ravens Monday night
Kent State Sports:
KSU Notes – November 11
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Cavs: Yeah, on That Issue of Privacy
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes Roll 100-60 / Season Outlook
Varsity Letters:
Twinsburg likes chances, but warns offense needs to deliver
All Da King's Men:
More On The Fort Hood Jihadist
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Simply Incapable of Telling The Truth
Akron Law Café:
Study says 2,200 uninsured veterans died in 2008 due to lack of health insurance.
See Jane Style:
Muffle Your Muffler
Car Chase:
Clock Tender- Extending the Life of Collector Car Clocks
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Rumors: Akron Starbucks Closing
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Kimberly requests information on living in Columbus, Ohio.
Sound Check:
Aeromsith looking for new singer as Steven Tyler contemplates solo career
HRLite House:
Personal Rant – Why People Do Not Live in Northeast Ohio
Akron Gamer:
Video: 'Modern Warfare 2' hits the streets
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.
