Manufacturing sees decline in Richmond area, Fed survey shows

Manufacturing activity in the Virginia area retreated in December as shipments and new orders both pulled back, the Richmond Federal Reserve reported Wednesday.
The central bank district’s survey of business activity in the Virginia, Delaware and North Carolina region registered a reading of -11 for the month, down from -5 in November and worse than the -6 Dow Jones estimate. The diffusion survey measures the percentage of business reporting expansion against contraction, so a negative number indicates a pullback.
Shipments declined to -17, new orders fell to -14 and the employment index edged lower to -1, from zero the prior month. On the inflation front, both price paid and received increased to 4.24 and 2.79 respectively. $Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ.US)$ $SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY.US)$ $S&P 500 Index (.SPX.US)$