Kansas City Fed district manufacturing activity remains mostly unchanged in August, expanding marginally versus the previous month at roughly the same pace as in July. The Kansas City Fed composite index of current business conditions is at 1 in August versus 1 in July and minus 2 in June.

The current new orders index rises to 5 in August from 2 in July and minus 2 in June. The number of employees index jumps to 0 from minus 11 in July and minus 8 in June. Prices paid comes in at 43 in August versus 47 in July and versus 51 in June.

The composite index of expectations in six months rises to 11 in August from 8 in July and 9 in June.

The Kansas City Fed index offers a monthly assessment of change in the region's manufacturing sector. Positive readings indicate monthly growth and negative readings monthly contraction. Readings at zero indicate no change. The headline number is the composite index, an average of the production, new orders, employment, delivery time, and raw materials inventory indexes.

Investors track economic data like the Kansas City Survey of Manufacturers to understand the economic backdrop for the various markets. The stock market likes to see healthy economic growth because that translates to higher corporate profits. The bond market prefers a moderate growth environment that will not generate inflationary pressures. The survey gives a detailed look at Tenth District's manufacturing sector, how busy it is and where it is headed. Some of the survey indexes also provide insight on inflation pressures—including prices paid, prices received, wages & benefits, and capacity utilization. The equity market is also sensitive to this report because it is an early clue on the nation's manufacturing sector, reported in advance of the ISM manufacturing index and often in advance of the NAPM-Chicago index.