US Empire State Manufacturing index dropped to 3.7 in March, down from 8.8 and missed expectation of 10. It’s also the third consecutive month of sub-10 reading, suggesting “growth has remained quite a bit slower so far this year than it was for most of 2018.
Looking at some details, new orders index dropped -5pts to 3.0, indicating orders grew at a slower pace. Shipments dropped -3 pts to 7.7, indicating modest shipments growth. Employment index rose to 13.8. But average work week turned negative for the firs time since 2016, at -3.4.
