The Chicago Purchasing Managers’ Business Barometer rose to 40.1 in April from 31.4 in March, the National Association of Purchasing Management-Chicago said yesterday. Economists polled by Thomson Reuters predicted a 35.0 reading.
The production index rose to 38.1 from 32.7 in the prior survey, the new orders index rose to 42.1 from 30.9, the order backlogs index jumped to 36.9 from 21.3. Inventories slid to 30.6 from 34.9, the employment index rose to 31.8 from 28.1, and the prices paid index fell to 28.4 from 34.1.
