Highlights of the October 2015 Empire State Fed manufacturing index:

  • Prior was -14.67
  • New orders -18.91 vs -12.91 prior
  • Employment -8.49 vs -6.19 prior
  • Avg work week -7.55 vs -10.31 prior
  • Prices paid +0.94 vs +4.12 prior
  • Six-month outlook 23.36 vs 23.21 prior

The August reading at 14.92 was the lowest since 2009 and it's struggled to rebound for the past two months. The strong US dollar has taken a bite out of manufacturing.