US Fifth District Manufacturing Unexpectedly Rebounds

2026-04-28 14:10 By Andre Joaquim 1 min. read

The Federal Reserve's Fifth District manufacturing index rose by 3 points from the previous month to 3 in April of 2026, contrasting with market expectations of a contraction in activity at -5 to reflect the first improvement since February of last year.

The result was aligned with other leading indicators for the period as the goods producing sector is showing a degree of resilience to soaring energy prices and supply chain disruptions from the war in the Middle East.

The gauge measuring new orders rose further (8 vs 4 in March), even though shipments held their slight drop (unchanged at -2).

Meanwhile, local business conditions improved (10 vs -5), driving firms to halt the drop in their employment levels (0 vs -2).

Prices paid for inputs rose further (6.4 vs 6.11), although prices charged slowed (4.73 vs 4.85).

Looking ahead, the outlook slowed for shipments (21 vs 26) and new orders (26 vs 30).



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US Fifth District Manufacturing Unexpectedly Rebounds
The Federal Reserve's Fifth District manufacturing index rose by 3 points from the previous month to 3 in April of 2026, contrasting with market expectations of a contraction in activity at -5 to reflect the first improvement since February of last year. The result was aligned with other leading indicators for the period as the goods producing sector is showing a degree of resilience to soaring energy prices and supply chain disruptions from the war in the Middle East. The gauge measuring new orders rose further (8 vs 4 in March), even though shipments held their slight drop (unchanged at -2). Meanwhile, local business conditions improved (10 vs -5), driving firms to halt the drop in their employment levels (0 vs -2). Prices paid for inputs rose further (6.4 vs 6.11), although prices charged slowed (4.73 vs 4.85). Looking ahead, the outlook slowed for shipments (21 vs 26) and new orders (26 vs 30).
2026-04-28
5th District Manufacturing Halts Decline Streak
The Federal Reserve's Fifth District manufacturing index rose by 10 points from the previous month to 0 in March of 2026, ahead of market expectations of a -5. The result reflected an unchanged level of manufacturing activity in the district, the first period without a contraction since February of the previous year despite pressure from the surge in energy prices since the outbreak of war in the Middle East during the month. Shipments contracted less (-2 vs -13 in February) amid a rebound in the volume of new orders (4 vs -9). Likewise, the pace of staff reduction fell sharply (-2 vs -7), although wage growth eased (14 vs 18) despite remaining sharp. In the meantime, prices paid decelerated (6.11 vs 6.52) despite the surge in wholesale energy commodities. Looking ahead, shipments (26 vs 29) and new orders growth (30 vs 35) eased but remained strong.
2026-03-24
5th District Manufacturing Falls Further
The Federal Reserve's Fifth District manufacturing index fell to -10 in February of 2025 from -6 in the previous month, the lowest in three months and missing expectations that it would improve to -4. The result reflected 12 months of negative readings, aligned with pessimistic signals from other regions of the US as tariffs magnified higher producer inflation to dent sentiment among goods producers. Shipments fall further (.13 vs .5 in January) as new orders dropped (-9 vs -6), even though companies continued to run through their order backlogs (-15 vs -13). In turn, prices paid remained elevated but at a softer pace than in the previous month (6.25 vs 7.06).
2026-02-24