US Empire State Manufacturing General Business Conditions rose to 3.5 in December, up from 2.9, but missed expectation of 4.0. Twenty-eight percent of respondents reported that conditions had improved over the month, while 25 percent reported that conditions had worsened. Meanwhile, indexes assessing the six-month outlook suggested that optimism about future conditions improved for a second consecutive month. Expectations for six months ahead rose 10.4 to 29.8.
