Missouri manufacturing showed a strong pulse in February with a Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) of 66.8, an increase of 13.1 points and the highest since 2004. The PMI measures new orders, production, supplier delivery times, backlogs, inventories, prices, employment, import orders and exports, and other factors. Economists consider it a key economic indicator. A score greater than 50 usually indicates an economy that is expanding. A score below 50 forecasts…