ISM® Services Index Increased to 56.7% in July, Employment Contracted

(Posted with permission). The ISM® Services index was at 56.7%, up from 55.3% last month. The employment index increased to 49.1%, from 47.4%. Note: Above 50 indicates expansion, below 50 in contraction.

From the Institute for Supply Management: Services PMI® at 56.7% July 2022 Services ISM® Report On Business®

Economic activity in the services sector grew in July for the 26th month in a row — with the Services PMI® registering 56.7 percent — 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: “In July, the Services PMI® registered 56.7 percent, 1.4 percentage points higher than June’s reading of 55.3 percent. The Business Activity Index registered 59.9 percent, an increase of 3.8 percentage points compared to the reading of 56.1 percent in June. The New Orders Index figure of 59.9 percent is 4.3 percentage points higher than the June reading of 55.6 percent.
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The Employment Index (49.1 percent) contracted for the second consecutive month ...
emphasis added

This was well above expectations.