U.S. Manufacturing Continues Contraction in November

Though the sector improved in November, manufacturing in the United States contracted again, according to the Institute for Supply Management.

In a report released Monday, ISM said that its factory index rose slightly to 49.2 from a reading of 48.5 in October. For ISM indices, figures under 50 indicate contraction.

Manufacturing is one of trucking’s most important customers.

November is the third straight month that the index failed to reach the break-even point, according to the ISM.

The ISM’s new orders index, which accounts for about a third of the overall factory report, declined to 49.9 in November, while the production index rose to 54.6, the report said.

In a bit of positive news, construction spending during the month of October rose 0.2% to $834.6 billion, the Commerce Department said.

Economists told Bloomberg that construction, particularly of new homes, has been one of the real strengths of the economy, even during the recession and the at-times weak recovery.