American manufacturers finished 2016 on a wave of optimism, as a survey of executives hit the highest level in two years, MarketWatch reports. The Institute for Supply Management said its manufacturing index climbed to 54.7% in December from 53.2%, slightly higher than the MarketWatch forecast. The index’s employment gauge, meanwhile, edged up to 53.1%, the highest level since mid-2015. Any number above 50% signals expansion. A similar survey from IHS Market also showed the biggest increase in hiring in a year and a half.