TEMPE, AZ—The U.S. manufacturing sector resumed growth in March, bolstered by strength in new orders. The Institute for Supply Management said its index of national factory activity rose to 51.8 from 49.5 the month before. A reading above 50 indicates expansion in the manufacturing sector and a reading below 50 indicates contraction.

It is too little and too late to keep writing “manufacturing matters.” Everything else in the economy is secondary to manufacturing, mining and farming. Only these activities build wealth.

NEW YORK—U.S. industrial companies rented or purchased 62.9 million square feet of space in the fourth quarter of 2015, up 9.1 percent from the previous quarter and up 0.5 percent from the fourth quarter of a year ago, according to commercial real estate firm Cushman and Wakefield. The vacancy rate of industrial property in the US is now at a 15-year low.

WASHINGTON—Orders to U.S. factories increased in January by the most in seven months, while a key category that tracks business investment plans rose by the largest amount in 19 months.

WASHINGTON—Orders for big-ticket goods surged in January. The Commerce Department said Thursday that new orders of durable goods increased 4.9 percent last month, topping the median estimate of 2.9 percent that economists had been expecting.

WASHINGTON—U.S. manufacturers added 29,000 new jobs in January, after a net gain of just 33,000 in all of 2015, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

With automotive and aerospace manufacturing going strong, our annual Capital Equipment Spending Survey predicts continued growth in investment.

WASHINGTON—New orders for U.S. manufactured goods edged higher in July after a solid increase in June, led by gains for boats and ships, according to the Commerce Department. Factory orders rose 0.4 percent in July, slower than June’s 2.2 percent rise.

WESTBURY, NY—Denver tops the list of top 10 U.S. metropolitan areas for job creation and economic development, according to a new study by Area Development magazine.

WASHINGTON—Orders to U.S. factories for long-lasting manufactured goods rose in July. The Commerce Department said Wednesday orders for durable goods increased 2 percent in July after a 4.1 percent gain in June.