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Reports: US Manufacturing Rises, Construction Falls

   VOA News 04 January 2010
   In  this  Dec. 17, 2009 photo, a worker guides a steel beam into place
   on a new building construction Friday in Seaside Heights, NJ

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS

   In  this  Dec. 17, 2009 photo, a worker guides a steel beam into place
   on a new building construction Friday in Seaside Heights, NJ

   Economic  reports  paint  a  mixed  picture  of the U.S. economy, with
   manufacturing rising and construction dropping.
   Monday's report from the Institute for Supply Management says an index
   of manufacturing rose 2.3 percentage points in December.
   Factories  are  apparently  boosting production to meet growing demand
   from   government   stimulus  programs.   Demand  is  also  helped  by
   businesses  that  are rebuilding inventories that were drastically cut
   during the worst of the economic crisis.
   A separate government report shows a very different trend.  The latest
   figures from the U.S. Commerce Department show construction falling to
   the lowest level in six years.
   November's  data show a .6 percent decline for the month, which is the
   seventh drop in as many months.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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