U.S. goods producers saw a further upturn in overall business conditions during August, though the rate of improvement was softer than seen in July. While output continued to rise markedly, total new work rose at a slower pace and employment expanded at the weakest rate in four months. Meanwhile, companies reported near-stagnant price trends overall, with input prices rising only marginally and companies leaving their prices charged unchanged from the previous month. The seasonally adjusted Markit Flash U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index™ (PMI) 1 registered at 52.1 in August down from 52.9.