Gaming continues to thrive in Mississippi with large crowds packing a new resort. Richmond reports record attendance at Washington D.C.'s National Cherry Blossom Festival and an increase in popularity of coastal resorts. Inquiries are up substantially from a year ago for destinations in the Minneapolis District. Summer bookings are ahead of schedule in the St. Louis District. Manufacturing Most Districts report recent improvement in the manufacturing sector.
Manufacturing is generally strong in Chicago.
Boston reports that the strongest trends are in medical and automotive equipment suppliers, and most manufacturers contacted expect business to expand in coming months. Recently in Richmond, factory shipments and new orders have risen sharply. Some manufacturers in San Francisco continued to be hampered by international trade conditions, but demand for computers and electronic components remains stable, and production of telecommunications equipment is at high levels. Richmond and Atlanta report growing activity for makers of telecommunications and electronics equipment. Some industries that showed softness earlier in the year, such as industrial machinery components, have improved in Cleveland.