10:44 AM EDT, 05/15/2026 (MT Newswires) -- New York manufacturing activity grew at the fastest pace in more than four years this month amid robust new orders, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported Friday.

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey's general business conditions index climbed to 19.6 in May, the highest reading since April 2022, from 11 last month, the Fed branch said. The consensus was for a reading of 7.2 in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

The gauge for new orders rose to 22.7, the fastest growth since December 2021, from 19.3. Shipments slipped to 18.9, which the Fed branch said still indicated solid growth.

"New orders and shipments increased considerably for the second consecutive month," the Fed branch said in a report.

The Institute for Supply Management and S&P Global ( SPGI ) earlier this month reported manufacturing growth in April, though they said inflationary pressures intensified amid disruptions caused by the Middle East conflict.

The New York Fed report showed notable increases in input and selling price growth, while the gauge for employment fell to 8.3 from 9.8.

US consumer inflation accelerated in April to the fastest pace in almost three years as energy prices surged amid supply disruptions caused by the conflict in the Middle East, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. Producer prices rose at the quickest pace in four years, separate data set showed.

Six months out, the index for business activity surged about 14 points to 33.5 this month, the highest reading in three months, the report showed. The future new order and shipment gauges also improved, with more than half of the respondents expecting better business conditions in the coming months, the Fed branch said.

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