By Ovunc Kutlu
ISTANBUL (AA) - The Philadelphia Federal Reserve in the US announced Thursday that its manufacturing index fell in June, indicating a weakening in the sector.
The index for current general activity declined three points to 1.3 in June, marking its lowest since January.
The estimate for the index was to come in at 4.8, while it stood at 4.5 in May and 15.5 in April.
"The index for new orders recorded a second consecutive negative reading but moved up from -7.9 in May to -2.2 in June," the Philadelphia Fed said in a report. "The current shipments index fell 6 points to -7.2, its lowest reading since December."
A level above zero indicates improving conditions, while anything below that shows worsening conditions.
"Twenty-four percent of the firms reported increases in general activity this month, while 23 percent reported decreases; 50 percent reported no change," said the report.
"On balance, the firms continued to report a decline in employment," it added.