WASHINGTON — The economic recovery gained strength on the biggest rise in construction spending in nearly a decade and the 10th straight month of expansion for the manufacturing sector.
Temporary government incentives fueled most of the construction spending increases in April. Industry spending rose 2.7% with gains in all major sectors, the Commerce Department said Tuesday, June 1.
In a separate report Tuesday, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), a trade group of purchasing executives, said its manufacturing index dipped slightly in May from a nearly six-year high in April. But the 59.7 reading for May was well above the 50 level that indicates expansion.
Export orders rose last month despite the debt crisis in Europe that threatens to spread.
"The European fiscal crisis doesn't appear to have harmed the prospects of U.S. manufacturers, at least not yet," wrote Paul Ashworth, senior U.S. economist with Capital Economics.
The news was welcomed on Wall Street. Stocks erased early losses after the two reports signaled a lift in the economic recovery. The Dow Jones industrial average rose about 40 points in midday trading after sliding in early trading.
Construction spending was boosted by a homebuyer tax credit, which helped residential construction surge 4.4% in April. The tax credit expired at the end of April.
Government spending also rose on the strength of federal support. The 2.4% increase was aided by the economic stimulus program that Congress passed in February 2009. State and local spending jumped 2.3% and federal spending rose 2.9%.
The other major sector, nonresidential construction, climbed 1.7%. That marked the first advance in this category since March 2009. The strength in April came from gains in private sector work on communications projects and power generation facilities. Construction of office buildings and the category that includes shopping centers fell in April.
