Investing.com - Manufacturing activity in the Chicago-area contracted at the fastest pace since July 2009 in December, dampening optimism over the U.S. economic outlook, industry data showed on Thursday.
In a report, market research group Kingsbury International said its Chicago purchasing managers’ index tumbled by 5.8 points to a seasonally adjusted 42.9 this month from a reading of 48.7 in November. Analysts had expected the index to rise 1.1 points to 49.8 in December.
On the index, a reading above 50.0 indicates expansion, below indicates contraction.
The biggest contributor to the barometer's decline was a 17.2 point fall in Order Backlogs to 29.4. New orders fell 5.3 points to 38.8, while Production and Employment fell back into contraction.
EUR/USD was trading at 1.0886 from around 1.0883 ahead of the release of the data, GBP/USD was at 1.4811 from 1.4814 earlier, while USD/JPY was at 120.34 from 120.37 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 98.59, compared to 98.58 ahead of the report.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock markets were lower after the open. The Dow 30 shed 0.55%, the S&P 500 dipped 0.5%, while the Nasdaq Composite declined 0.5%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,061.60 a troy ounce, compared to $1,061.60 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $36.51 a barrel from $36.53 earlier.