Off the wire
Bank staff to stage second strike in Finland  • Chicago agricultural commodities settle mixed  • Big three American automakers post sales slide in 2017  • 2nd LD Writethru: Egyptian man allegedly kills Japanese, injures two others in Ireland  • 5.4-magnitude quake hits Izu Islands, Japan region -- USGS  • U.S. dollar rises on upbeat data  • Xinhua Middle East news summary at 2200 GMT, Jan. 3  • French president announces new bill to combat false news to be tabled  • U.S. stocks extend gains amid Fed minutes  • Oil prices rise on upbeat data  
You are here:  

U.S. factory activity accelerates in December

Xinhua,January 05, 2018 Adjust font size:

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. factory activity rose more than expected in last December, the latest sign of strong U.S. economic momentum, the data released by The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) revealed on Wednesday.

"Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in December, and the overall economy grew for the 103rd consecutive month," said ISM.

The survey-based index of national factory activity rose to a reading of 59.7 in December, beating market expectations, and represented the second-highest reading in six years.

The latest data brings the average reading in 2017 to 57.6, the highest level in 13 years. Enditem