Economic activity in the US manufacturing sector grew in October, with the overall economy achieving a 29th consecutive month of growth, according to the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business.
The October Manufacturing PMI registered 50.2 percent, 0.7 percentage point lower than the 50.9 percent recorded in September. This figure indicates expansion in the overall economy for the 29th month in a row after contraction in April and May 2020. The Manufacturing PMI figure is the lowest since May 2020, when it registered 43.5 percent. Index breakdown:
| Index | October level | September level |
| New Orders | 49.2 | 47.1 |
| Production | 52.3 | 50.6 |
| Prices | 46.6 | 51.7 |
| Backlog of Orders | 45.3 | 50.9 |
| Employment | 50 | 48.7 |
| Supplier Deliveries | 46.8 | 52.4 |
| Inventories | 52.5 | 55.5 |
| New Export Orders | 46.5 | 47.8 |
| Imports | 50.8 | 52.6 |
Eight manufacturing industries reported growth in October, in the following order: apparel, leather and allied products; nonmetallic mineral products; machinery; petroleum and coal products; transportation equipment; miscellaneous manufacturing; plastics and rubber products; and electrical equipment, appliances and components.
The 10 industries reporting contraction in October compared to September, in the following order are: furniture and related products; wood products; paper products; textile mills; printing and related support activities; fabricated metal products; chemical products; primary metals; computer and electronic products; and food, beverage and tobacco products.