MILWAUKEE (WTAQ) - Manufacturing activity in southeast Wisconsin went down in August for the second month in a row.

That’s according to a monthly survey by Marquette University and purchasing managers in the Institute for Supply Management.

The seasonally-adjusted manufacturing index dropped to 42.9 this month – down from 46.7 in July and 60.2 in June.

Anything below 50 shows a decline in local factory conditions, while anything above 50 indicates growth.

According to Friday’s report, business executives continue to express uncertainty about the economy. That’s mainly because they don’t know what government policies will be like until after the November elections.