NEW YORK — Manufacturers see the Trump administration’s trade policies as a bigger challenge than the economy. That’s one of the findings of a quarterly survey by the National Association of Manufacturers.

A gauge of U.S. factories fell in April to the weakest level since late 2016, signaling that manufacturing headwinds extended into the second quarter as companies continue to confront uncertainty about trade.

The six-month outlook for manufacturing in America’s mid-Atlantic region slumped to a three-year low, another sign that expectations for weaker global growth may be weighing on producers.

Back in 2017, Toyota said that it would invest at least $10 billion over the course of the next five years in its U.S. manufacturing presence. Now, the Japanese automaker is saying it will exceed that goal in announcing a new commitment of $13 billion in the same timeframe.

Canadian manufacturers began 2019 with their strongest sales gain in seven months, bringing an end to a string of bad reports.

Manufacturing activity in Texas grew in February, leaving economists and others in the industry optimistic about the future of production across the state and even into the Mexican borderlands.

BALTIMORE — American manufacturers expanded at a slower rate in February, as the pace of new orders, production and employment each slipped.

U.S. factory production unexpectedly contracted in January, shrinking the most in eight months on weakness in the automotive sector and indicating a weak start to the year as headwinds including a trade war with China weighed on factories.

A gauge of U.S. manufacturing plunged last month by the most since October 2008, a fresh sign of deceleration in the economy amid global strains across the sector. U.S. stocks extended declines and Treasury yields fell after the report.

U.S. factory production was unchanged in November and the prior month’s reading was revised to a decline from a gain, a sign the industry may be taking a breather while still growing at a pace that supports economic growth.