Northeast manufacturing shows gains - UPI.com NEW YORK, March 15 (UPI) -- New York and Philadelphia Federal Reserve branches said their general business conditions expanded in March at a slightly faster pace than February. In the Empire State, the Fed's index for general business conditions climbed from 19.5 to 20.2 with the new orders and shipments indexes both modestly lower. In the mid-Atlantic states, the Philadelphia Fed said that the diffusion index of current activity rose from 10.2 to 12.5. The Philadelphia Fed said 59 percent of firms included in their survey expect increases in production in the second quarter, while 23 expect decreases. In comparison, in March of 2011, 75 percent of the firms in the mid-Atlantic states expected growth, while 10 percent expected declines. In Philadelphia, 24 percent of the firms reported higher prices in March, down from 42 percent in February. Strikingly, the index covering prices paid in New York rose sharply, up 25 points to 50.6, its highest level since the summer of 2011. In New York, the index for new orders dropped from 9.8 to 6.8, while the shipments index fell from 23.2 to 18.2. The employment indexes were higher in New York.