US Manufacturing Sends Mixed Signals in October

A worker prepares to lift a steel beam with a crane at Central Steel Supply Company in Marlborough, Mass. Joseph Prezioso/AFPU.S. factory data for October offered a split picture of the economy’s industrial health, with one major survey showing continued growth and another indicating ongoing contraction, pointing to a manufacturing landscape pulled between solid domestic demand and tariff-related export weakness.S&P Global’s headline manufacturing gauge, released on Nov. 3, rose to 52.5 in October from 52 in September, signaling a third straight month of expansion. The analytics company said U.S. factory production and new orders strengthened, with domestic demand the strongest in 20 months. But exports fell sharply for a fourth month as tariffs continued to weigh on global trade and drive up input costs.