by Bryan Mena
CNN
Washington (CNN) — American manufacturers have been squeezed for the past two years by lingering supply-chain disruptions and high interest rates, but the industry finally expanded in March for the first time in 16 months, according to the Institute for Supply Management.
But a resurgence in the industry could complicate the Federal Reserve’s ongoing inflation fight, either delaying the first interest rate cut or resulting in fewer cuts this year, some economists say. Interest rates have been at a two-decade high since July, after the Fed raised rates aggressively over the prior year and a half.