After increasing in November and December, the Empire State Manufacturing Survey’s General Business Conditions Index fell sharply in January to -19.4, its lowest level since March 2009 at the height of the Great Recession. The contraction was led by large drops in New Orders and Shipments. The Index has now been in negative territory since August indicating that manufacturing activity declined over the last six months across the state. However, data from Buffalo-Niagara continues to indicate that our regional manufacturing is holding steady. See the full report here: 2016_01report