by Calculated Risk on 6/03/2021 09:51:00 AM

(Posted with permission). The May ISM® Services index was at 64.0%, up from 62.7% last month. The employment index decreased to 55.3%, from 58.8%. Note: Above 50 indicates expansion, below 50 contraction.

From the Institute for Supply Management: May 2021 Services ISM® Report On Business®

Economic activity in the services sector grew in May for the 12th month in a row, say the nation’s purchasing and supply executives in the latest Services ISM® Report On Business®.

The report was issued today by Anthony Nieves, CPSM, C.P.M., A.P.P., CFPM, Chair of the Institute for Supply Management® (ISM®) Services Business Survey Committee: “The Services PMI® reached another all-time high in May, registering 64 percent, which is 1.3 percentage points higher than April’s reading of 62.7 percent. The previous record high was 63.7 percent in March. The May reading indicates the 12th straight month of growth for the services sector, which has expanded for all but two of the last 136 months.

“The Supplier Deliveries Index registered 70.4 percent, up 4.3 percentage points from April’s reading of 66.1 percent. (Supplier Deliveries is the only ISM® Report On Business® index that is inversed; a reading of above 50 percent indicates slower deliveries, which is typical as the economy improves and customer demand increases.) The Prices Index registered 80.6 percent, which is 3.8 percentage points higher than the April reading of 76.8 percent, indicating that prices increased in May, and at a faster rate. The last time the Prices Index was this elevated was when it registered 77.4 percent in July 2008; the all-time high is 83.5 percent in September 2005.

“According to the Services PMI®, all 18 services industries reported growth. The composite index indicated growth for the 12th consecutive month after a two-month contraction in April and May 2020. There was continued growth in the services sector in May. The rate of expansion is very strong, as businesses have reopened and production capacity has increased. However, some capacity constraints, material shortages, weather-related delays, and challenges in logistics and employment resources continue,” says Nieves.
emphasis added

The employment index decreased to 55.3% from 58.8% in April.