Purchasing Managers' Index Records Increase in January

Tempe, AZ, February 1, 2019-The January Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) registered 56.6%, an increase of 2.3 percentage points from the December reading of 54.3%, according to the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business. 

The New Orders Index registered 58.2%, an increase of 6.9 percentage points from the December reading of 51.3%.

The Production Index registered 60.5%, 6.4-percentage point increase compared to the December reading of 54.1%.

The Employment Index registered 55.5%, a decrease of 0.5 percentage point from the December reading of 56%. 

The Supplier Deliveries Index registered 56.2%, a 2.8 percentage point decrease from the December reading of 59%. 

The Inventories Index registered 52.8%, an increase of 1.6 percentage points from the December reading of 51.2%.

The Prices Index registered 49.6%, a 5.3-percentage point decrease from the December reading of 54.9%, indicating lower raw materials prices for the first time in nearly three years.

Of the 18 manufacturing industries, 14 reported growth in January, in the following order: textile mills; computer & electronic products; plastics & rubber products; miscellaneous manufacturing; furniture & related products; printing & related support activities; primary metals; chemical products; transportation equipment; machinery; fabricated metal products; petroleum & coal products; food, beverage & tobacco products; and electrical equipment, appliances & components. The only industry reporting contraction in January is nonmetallic mineral products.