Wall Street Journal (05/01/14) Jeffrey Sparshott; Kathleen Madigan
The Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing index increased to 54.9 in April from 53.7 in March. Corporate purchasing managers in 17 of the 18 industries surveyed reported growth, although the production index saw a slight drop and the new-orders index remained flat. There continues to be persistently weak demand among consumers despite this positive trend, and respondents say they are worried about the impact of economic and political strife such as the growing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.