The NY Empire State Manufacturing Index in the US jumped to 11 in April 2026, the highest in five months, compared to -0.2 in March sand beating forecasts of -0.5. The reading showed that manufacturing activity grew moderately in New York State, with 36% of firms reporting an increase in activity and 25% reporting a decrease. New orders (19.3 vs 6.4) and shipments (20.2 vs -6.9) increased significantly, and employment expanded (9.8 vs 5.8). However, input price increases accelerated (51 vs 36.6), supply availability is expected to worsen (-10.1 vs -3.9), and firms became less optimistic about the outlook (19.6 vs 31).