US: Markit Manufacturing PMI comes in at 54.9 in January vs 54.5 expected

"The seasonally adjusted IHS Markit final U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index posted 54.9 in January, up from 53.8 in December," the IHS Markit announced on Friday.

Key takeaways from the press release

• The latest headline figure signalled a strong and faster improvement in the overall health of the sector, and was above the long-run series average.
• The rise in output was the fastest since last September and stronger than the series trend. 
• The latest rise in new business extended the trend seen throughout the series history. 
• In line with greater production requirements, manufacturing firms expanded their workforce numbers at a solid rate.