The Chicago Purchasing Managers’ Business Barometer rose to 43.4 in July from 39.9 in June, the National Association of Purchasing Management-Chicago said Friday.
Economists polled by Thomson Reuters predicted a 43.0 reading for the indicator.
The production index was up to 43.3 from 39.3 in the previous survey, the new orders index rose to 48.0 from 41.6, the order backlogs index decreased to 32.1 from 37.6, and inventories fell to 25.4 from 34.2. The employment index surged to 35.3 from 28.9 and the supplier deliveries index was at 49.6, up from 43.1 in June. The prices paid index decreased to 35.0 from 36.3.
