$A slump slows decline in manufacturing activity THE manufacturing sector continued to show modest improvement in August, with a lower Australian dollar helping to drive a key industry gauge closer toward expansionary territory. The Australian Industry Group performance of manufacturing index rose 4.4 points to 46.4 from July, but stayed below the 50-point level that signals an expansion. The index has been 26 straight months in contraction territory, the longest period in its 21-year history.