Economic activity in the US manufacturing sector contracted in May, and the overall economy returned to expansion after one month of contraction, according to the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business.
The May PMI registered 43.1 percent, up 1.6 percentage points from the April reading of 41.5 percent. This figure indicates expansion in the overall economy after April's contraction, which ended a period of 131 consecutive months of growth.
| Index | May level | April level |
| New Orders | 31.8 | 27.1 |
| Production | 33.2 | 27.5 |
| Backlog of Orders | 38.2 | 37.8 |
| Employment | 32.1 | 27.5 |
| Supplier Deliveries | 68 | 76 |
| Inventories | 50.4 | 49.7 |
| Prices | 40.8 | 35.3 |
| New Export Orders | 39.5 | 35.3 |
| Imports | 41.3 | 42.7 |
Of the 18 manufacturing industries, the six that reported growth in May — in the following order — are: nonmetallic mineral products; furniture and related products; apparel, leather and allied products; food, beverage and tobacco products; paper products; and wood products.
The 11 industries reporting contraction in May, in order, are: printing and related support activities; primary metals; transportation equipment; petroleum and coal products; fabricated metal products; machinery; miscellaneous manufacturing; electrical equipment, appliances and components; chemical products; computer and electronic products; and plastics and rubber products.