by Calculated Risk on 9/30/2019 10:36:00 AM

From the Dallas Fed: Texas Manufacturing Expansion Continues

Texas factory activity continued to expand in September, according to business executives responding to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, fell four points to 13.9, suggesting output growth continued but at a slightly slower pace than in August.

Other measures of manufacturing activity also suggested slightly slower expansion in September. The new orders index edged down two points to 7.1, while the shipments index fell three points to 14.7. Similarly, the capacity utilization index fell four points to 12.0. A bright spot this month was the growth rate of orders index, which edged up to 4.4, a five-month high.

Perceptions of broader business conditions remained positive in September. The general business activity index came in at 1.5, a second positive reading in a row after three months in negative territory. The company outlook index inched up to 7.4, its highest reading since February. The index measuring uncertainty regarding companies’ outlooks remained elevated at 13.3.

Labor market measures suggested stronger growth in employment and work hours in September. The employment index jumped 13 points to 18.8, its highest reading in nearly a year.
emphasis added

This was the last of the regional Fed surveys for September.

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 (yellow, through September), and five Fed surveys are averaged (blue, through September) including New York, Philly, Richmond, Dallas and Kansas City. The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) PMI (red) is through August (right axis).

Based on these regional surveys, it seems likely the ISM manufacturing index for September will be weak again.