Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City (10/22/15)

Manufacturing activity in the Plains states steadied somewhat in October following September’s more negative reading, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, and expectations for future activity were largely flat.

The month-to-month composite index was -1 in October, up from -8 in September. The majority of other month-to-month indexes edged higher but still remained sluggish. The production index increased from 1 to 4, and the shipments, employment, and order backlog indexes also improved somewhat but stayed negative. The new orders index jumped from -8 to 7, its highest level in 10 months.