The Empire State manufacturing survey likely indicated an improvement in September, rising to 17.00 from 14.69 in August. We expect the Empire survey will point to healthy manufacturing sector activity in September. Employment likely picked up, following flat manufacturing employment last month. The August reading on new orders remained at a solid level, suggesting strong readings in other components, particularly shipments in September. The six-month outlook improved notably in August, implying forward momentum in subsequent months. We expect industrial production to rise 0.3% in August following a 0.4% increase in ... (full story)