Kansas City Fed: Regional Manufacturing Flat in January

    

   CRANBURY, N.J. (DTN) -- Kansas City Federal Reserve said manufacturing 
activity in the Tenth District was flat in January with raw material costs 
increasing from December and finished product prices declining, although 
companies within the region expect prices for finished products to increase in 
the next six months.

   "We are seeing our normal slowdown for the beginning of the year...we are 
expecting sales to increase as we move through the 1st quarter. We are feeling 
good about the future," states one company according to the Fed District Bank.

   "Our business is not doing poorly, it is just not as robust as it has been. 
The inventory burn...over the past 9 months, along with a significant drop in 
steel cost, made business and results softer than the prior couple of 
years...while results may not be what they were in 2018 and early 2019, we 
expect them to improve."

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