by Calculated Risk on 7/30/2012 10:30:00 AM

From the Dallas Fed: Texas Manufacturing Activity Posts Slower Growth Amid Weaker View of General Business Activity

Texas factory activity continued to increase in July, according to business executives responding to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, fell from 15.5 to 12, suggesting slightly slower output growth.

The new orders index was positive for the second month in a row, although it moved down from 7.9 to 1.4. Similarly, the shipments index posted its second consecutive positive reading but edged down from 9.6 to 7.4. ... The general business activity plummeted to -13.2 after climbing into positive territory in June. Nearly 30 percent of manufacturers noted a worsening in the level of business activity in July, pushing the index to its lowest reading in 10 months.
...
Labor market indicators reflected stronger labor demand. Employment growth continued in July, although the index edged down from 13.7 to 11.8. ... The hours worked index was 4.1, up slightly from its June reading.

This was below expectations of a 2.5 reading for the general business activity index.

The regional manufacturing surveys were mostly weak in July. Here is a graph comparing the regional Fed surveys and the ISM manufacturing index:

Click on graph for larger image.

The New York and Philly Fed surveys are averaged together (dashed green, through July), and five Fed surveys are averaged (blue, through July) including New York, Philly, Richmond, Dallas and Kansas City. The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) PMI (red) is through June (right axis).

The ISM index for July will be released Wednesday, August 1st, and these surveys suggest another weak reading. The consensus is for an increase to 50.1, up from 49.7 in June. (below 50 is contraction).