The November Empire State Index of manufacturing actor activity as reported by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York fell to -25.43 which, for the series' short eight year history, was a record low. The decline was just modest versus the October level but it was down sharply from an average of -3.19 during the third quarter. A November reading of -26.1 for had been the Consensus expectation.

The figure is a diffusion index. Since the series' inception in 2001 there has been a 58% correlation between its' level and the three-month change in U.S. factory sector industrial production.

The index of pricing pressure also fell fell sharply to 20.48. The ten point decline from October was to the lowest level since December of 2003. Since inception in 2001 there has been an 81% correlation between the index of prices paid and the three-month change in the core intermediate materials PPI.

The indexes for new orders, shipments and unfilled orders each fell but the delivery times component ticked higher.

The employment index also fell during November dropping sharply to its lowest level since late 2001, negative for the fifth consecutive month. In the history of the NY employment index, there has been an 86% correlation between it and the three-month growth in overall factory sector employment.

Like the Philadelphia Fed Index of General Business Conditions, the Empire State Business Conditions Index reflects answers to an independent survey question; it is not a weighted combination of the components.

The Empire State index of expected business conditions in six months fell to 13.02 which was its lowest since 2001. The subseries for shipments and employment jumped and the pricing series fell to its lowest level in twelve months.

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey is a monthly survey of manufacturers in New York State conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Participants from across the state in a variety of industries respond to a questionnaire and report the change in a variety of indicators from the previous month. Respondents also state the likely direction of these same indicators six months ahead.

For more on the Empire State Manufacturing Survey, including methodologies and the latest report, click here.