by Laura Conaway

Here's a twist on the recent trend of economic indicators shrinking less than expected: The Institute for Supply Management says manufacturing grew in September — but the uptick is smaller than expected.

A reading of above 50 on the Purchasing Managers' Index, or PMI, shows expansion. Factories clocked in at 52.6, which means the sector was expanding. Analysts expected the index to come in at 54. In August, the figure was 52.9. As economist Brian Bethune told Bloomberg:

"We're still in positive territory but we're just not advancing at quite the same rate."

Today's national figure comes a day after the Chicago index showed a surprising dip in manufacturing.