by Calculated Risk on 5/30/2017 12:29:00 PM

From the Dallas Fed: Texas Manufacturing Expansion Picks Up Pace

Texas factory activity increased at a faster pace in May, according to business executives responding to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, moved up eight points to 23.3, reaching its highest level since April 2014.

Other measures of current manufacturing activity also rose to levels not seen since mid-2014. The new orders index pushed up to 18.1, and the growth rate of orders index rose to 12.3, marking its fifth consecutive positive reading. The capacity utilization index moved up to 19.4, with roughly a third of firms noting increased utilization. The shipments index surged 15 points to 24.7, reaching a level not seen in nearly 10 years.

Perceptions of broader business conditions improved again in May. The general business activity index held fairly steady at 17.2, and the company outlook index rose five points to 20.2.

Labor market measures indicated continued employment gains and markedly longer workweeks this month. The employment index came in at 8.3, posting a fifth positive reading in a row. Eighteen percent of firms noted net hiring, compared with 10 percent noting net layoffs. The hours worked index shot up 10 points to 15.7, its highest reading in six years.
emphasis added

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

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

It seems likely the ISM manufacturing index will be mostly unchanged or decline slightly in May, but still show solid expansion (to be released on Thursday).