Stronger dollar, cheaper oil hurt manufacturing in northeast

WASHINGTON – Manufacturing growth in the Philadelphia region fell in July, a sign that factories are struggling to contribute much to the expanding U.S. economy.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said Thursday that its index of factory activity fell to 5.7 in July from 15.2 the previous month. Any reading above zero indicates that manufacturing is expanding.

The index has been stuck in single digits for all but one month this year. That compares with a recent high of 40.2 in November.

Manufacturers are recovering from the setbacks of a brutal winter, a strong dollar hurting exports and cheaper oil prices cutting into equipment and material orders by energy firms.

“Overall, we see manufacturing activity as still limping after being hit hard from the oil price shock,” said Derek Lindsey, an analyst at the bank BNP Paribas.

Measures of new orders and shipments fell this month, yet remained positive. Measures for employment and inventories dropped below zero, a sign of contraction. Still, manufacturers were slightly more optimistic about growth over the next six months.

The slippage in growth this month might also reflect seasonal factors. The manufacturers surveyed said their activities normally increase in the spring and autumn but slip in the winter and midsummer.

The survey covers manufacturing in eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware.

Other indicators point to relatively limited – if any – gains for manufacturers, despite solid hiring in the broader economy and recent surges in home sales.

Factory production rose 1.4 percent at an annual rate in the April-June quarter, after shrinking 0.8 percent in the first quarter.