Chicago business index backpedals - UPI.com CHICAGO, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- The Chicago Business Barometer showed slower gains in January than December, the Institute for Supply Management said Tuesday. With numbers above 50 indicating expansion, the Chicago association's headline business barometer for December, compiled by Kingsbury International Ltd., slipped from December's 58.8 to 54.9 in January. January marked the 28th month of expansion for manufacturing activity in the area. The indexes for production and new orders also "softened" the report said. The production index slipped from 60.5 to 57. The new orders index throttled back from 61.5 to 56. The employment index also backpedaled, coming in at 54 compared to December's 60.5.