ECONOMY

U.S. Manufacturing Slows: A widely followed survey gives one of the first indications that the overall economy has finally begun to lose strength amid higher interest rates. The National Assn. of Purchasing Management said its index of manufacturing growth based on the survey findings fell to 57.8% in December from 61.2% in November. The association’s price index, meanwhile, surged to 83% in December from 77.9% in the previous month, its highest level since March, 1980, and the fourth time in the past five months that the price index has risen.