A measure of New York state factory activity barely expanded in July as orders edged up and inflationary pressures eased. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s general business conditions index decreased 5.5 points to 1.1, data showed Monday. A reading above zero indicates growth. The median projection in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for minus 3.5. The report showed a further cooling of inflationary pressures. Measures of prices paid and received by New York state manufacturers slid to levels not seen since mid-2020. However, the outlook for prices received picked up. The overall factory index has been ... (full story)