Purchasing Managers' Index Expanded to 60.8% in September

Tempe, AZ, October 2, 2017-The September Purchasing Managers’ Index registered 60.8%, an increase of two percentage points from the August reading of 58.8%, according to the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business.

The New Orders Index registered 64.6%, an increase of 4.3 percentage points from the August reading of 60.3%.

The Production Index registered 62.2%, a 1.2 percentage point increase compared to the August reading of 61%.

The Employment Index registered 60.3%, an increase of 0.4 percentage point from the August reading of 59.9%.

The Supplier Deliveries Index registered 64.4%, a 7.3 percentage point increase from the August reading of 57.1%.

The Inventories Index registered 52.5%, a decrease of 3 percentage points from the August reading of 55.5%.

The Prices Index registered 71.5% in September, a 9.5 percentage point increase from the August level of 62, indicating higher raw materials prices for the 19th consecutive month.

Of the 18 manufacturing industries, 17 reported growth in September, in the following order: Textile Mills; Machinery; Nonmetallic Mineral Products; Transportation Equipment; Plastics & Rubber Products; Paper Products; Wood Products; Computer & Electronic Products; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; Chemical Products; Fabricated Metal Products; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; Petroleum & Coal Products; Apparel, Leather & Allied Products; Printing & Related Support Activities; Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components; and Primary Metals.

One industry, Furniture & Related Products, reported contraction in September compared to August.