By Rex Nutting
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Business improved for the seventh straight month at manufacturing firms in the Philadelphia region, according to the monthly survey of firms released Thursday by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The Philly Fed index rose to 18.9 in March from 17.6 in January. Readings over zero indicate growth. Employment indicators strengthened in March, but orders, shipments and inventories slipped. For the second quarter, 57% of firms expect to increase their production.
