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July 16, 2012 1:00 PM, EDT

Manufacturing activity in the New York region expanded in July, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said Monday.

The regional Fed’s “Empire State Index,” generally the first economic indicator in a given month, expanded to a 7.4 reading, from 2.4 in June, the regional Fed said.

Readings above zero indicate expansion.

The July��reading was above economists’ forecasts of a 4.0 reading, Bloomberg reported.

Manufacturing is one of trucking’s largest and most important customers.