Manufacturing in KC Fed region tumbles again

Manufacturing in the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank district fell again in December, mostly because of continued shrinkage in demand from oil and gas producers.

The month-over-month composite index was -9, down from 1 in November and -1 in October. The index is an average of the production, new orders, employment, supplier delivery time, and raw materials inventory indexes.

The biggest declines were in food and beverage, computer and electronic equipment, and machinery production. Energy-heavy states had the weakest activity. But expectations of future factory activity was modestly positive.

The district includes Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, the western third of Missouri and the northern half of New Mexico.

This story was originally published December 18, 2015 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Manufacturing in KC Fed region tumbles again."