US Business Activity Expands at Fastest Pace in Four Months

A worker uses a brushing machine to refinish reclaimed wooden siding at a sawmill in Pine Plains, New York.

Photographer: Angus Mordant/Bloomberg

US business activity expanded in November by the most in four months amid faster growth at service providers, while optimism about the outlook improved notably.

The S&P Global flash November composite output index ticked up 0.2 point to 54.8, data released Friday showed. Figures above 50 indicate expansion. The services index also rose to a four-month high, while manufacturing growth slowed.