ISM Manufacturing index Decreased Sharply to 54.1 in December

The ISM manufacturing index indicated expansion in December. The PMI was at 54.1% in December, down from 59.3% in November. The employment index was at 56.2%, down from 58.4% last month, and the new orders index was at 51.1%, down from 62.1%.

From the Institute for Supply Management: December 2018 Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business®

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in December, and the overall economy grew for the 116th consecutive month, say the nation’s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business® .

The report was issued today by Timothy R. Fiore, CPSM, C.P.M., Chair of the Institute for Supply Management® (ISM®) Manufacturing Business Survey Committee: “The December PMI® registered 54.1 percent, a decrease of 5.2 percentage points from the November reading of 59.3 percent. The New Orders Index registered 51.1 percent, a decrease of 11 percentage points from the November reading of 62.1 percent. The Production Index registered 54.3 percent, 6.3-percentage point decrease compared to the November reading of 60.6 percent. The Employment Index registered 56.2 percent, a decrease of 2.2 percentage points from the November reading of 58.4 percent. The Supplier Deliveries Index registered 57.5 percent, a 5-percentage point decrease from the November reading of 62.5 percent. The Inventories Index registered 51.2 percent, a decrease of 1.7 percentage points from the November reading of 52.9 percent. The Prices Index registered 54.9 percent, a 5.8-percentage point decrease from the November reading of 60.7 percent, indicating higher raw materials prices for the 34th consecutive month.
emphasis added

Click on graph for larger image.

Here is a long term graph of the ISM manufacturing index.

This was well below expectations of 58.0%, and suggests manufacturing expanded at a slower pace in December than in November.