Manufacturing continues to weigh on growth.

The underlying details of this report paint a stronger picture of the manufacturing sector, as evidenced by the robust growth rate of orders excluding transportation over the last three months.

Manufacturing is growing but the pace of growth has decelerated. The outlook for manufacturing production in 2006 is for moderate growth.

The important aerospace industry is expanding again and overall manufacturing activity is growing, but the pace of growth in manufacturing is overstated in the durable goods report.

If manufacturing is recovering [from] this drag on growth, which is already strong, it is probably going to raise some concerns at the Fed.

Manufacturing job losses in the second half of 2005 pushed Arkansas' overall job growth for the fourth quarter to zero. However, Arkansas firms ... benefiting from the opening of the Japanese and other Asian beef markets, and J.B. Hunt Transport, profiting from the U.S. economic expansion, will drive Arkansas job growth higher in the first half of 2006.