OMAHA, N.E.(KELO)- Inflation and interest rates are on the rise again, and threatening to go higher.

That’s one of the main points in this month’s Mid-America Manufacturing Index from Creighton University.

Economist, Dr. Ernie Goss says one of the trouble spots in the nine-start survey, is the loss of manufacturing jobs.

South Dakota’s manufacturing exports plummeted by nearly 12-percent from last year.

The Federal Reserve Board lowered short-term interest rates in September and again last month.

Home buyers and builders have been waiting for longer-term rates on mortgages to follow the downward trend…but so far, that hasn’t happened.

Goss doesn’t expect that to change quickly.

Goss says he now expects the Fed to leave short-term rates unchanged this month, even though there’s wide speculation there will be another cut.