The Chicago Purchasing Managers’ Business Barometer rose to 62.6 in February from 61.5 in January, the National Association of Purchasing Management-Chicago said Friday.
Economists polled by Thomson Reuters predicted a 60.0 reading for the indicator.
The production index slid to 65.2 from 66.6, the new orders index fell to 62.2 from 66.4, the order backlogs index increased to 58.5 from 54.3 in the prior survey, and inventories fell to 42.4 from 48.7.
The employment index dropped to 53.0 from 59.8.
