Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City (11/20/15)

Manufacturing activity in the Plains states was largely flat in November, although expectations for future activity improved considerably from the previous few months. Most price indexes edged back down after rising slightly last month.

The month-to-month composite index was 1 in November, up from -1 in October. The production index was basically unchanged, while the new orders, order backlog, and employment indexes fell moderately. In contrast, the shipments index increased from -2 to 5, and the new orders for exports index moved into positive territory for the first time this year.