The Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) registered 50.7 percent, a decrease of 0.6 percentage point from March's reading of 51.3 percent, but still indicating expansion in manufacturing for the fifth consecutive month, but at the lowest rate of the year.
The New Orders Index increased in April by 0.9 percentage points to 52.3 percent, and the Production Index increased by 1.3 percentage points to 53.5 percent. The Employment Index registered 50.2 percent, a decrease of 4 percentage points compared to March's reading of 54.2 percent. The Prices Index registered 50 percent, decreasing a substantial 4.5 percentage points from March, indicating that overall raw materials prices remained unchanged from last month. The Export Index fell 2 percentage points to 54 while the Import Index rose 1 percentage point to 55.