Midwest Economic Index Holding Steady

The Mid-America Business Conditions survey index dropped from 64.3 in March to a still-healthy 61.7 in April — the fifth straight month the index indicated growth ahead, the Associated Press reports. (A score above 50 suggests economic growth in the next three to six months.)

“While the financial turmoil in Europe is a clear risk to the recovery, manufacturing and value-added services sectors in the Mid-America region are experiencing very strong business activity,” said Creighton University economist Ernie Goss.

The survey was compiled from supply managers and business leaders in Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota. Government data shows that the region added 25,000 jobs in the first quarter of 2010, and Goss said he expects job growth in the second quarter of 2010 will be a little higher than the first quarter’s annualized 0.8%.