• Most Popular
  • Most Shared

U.S. Midwest business shrinks more rapidly in March

CHICAGO
Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:54am EDT

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Business activity in the U.S. Midwest contracted in March and at a more severe rate than expected, a report showed on Tuesday.

Asian Markets  |  Housing Market  |  Economy

The Institute for Supply Management-Chicago business barometer fell to 31.4 from 34.2 in February.

Economists had forecast the index at 34.5. A reading below 50 indicates contraction in the regional economy.

The employment component of the index rose to 28.1 from 26.2 in February. Prices paid fell to 34.1 from 37.8 and new orders rose to 30.9 from 30.6. But production slipped to 32.7 from 34.7.

(Reporting by Ros Krasny, Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
Asian Markets
Housing Market
Economy


More from Reuters

Photo

East Coast tunnels out from severe snowstorm

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Northeast began digging out on Sunday from a massive snowstorm that buried cities from Washington to Boston under as much as 2 feet of snow, creating travel chaos and hampering Christmas shopping. | Video

» More Top News
A woman shops at a Sam's Club store, a division of Wal-Mart Stores, in Bentonville, Arkansas June 4, 2009. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi

The food-stamp economy

On the last day of every month, shoppers at Walmart load their carts with food and household items and wait for the midnight hour. Is this the new normal in America?  Full Article 

U.S.
Two men shake hands in a file photo. REUTERS/File

Let's make a deal

The battered M&A sector will make a tepid recovery in the coming year and three hot sectors will lead the way, according to a Thomson Reuters analysis.  Full Article 

Global Deals Review