Economic activity in the US manufacturing sector contracted in August for the 10th consecutive month following a 28-month period of growth, according to the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business.
The August Manufacturing PMI registered 47.6 percent, 1.2 percentage points higher than the 46.4 percent recorded in July. Regarding the overall economy, this figure indicates a ninth month of contraction after a 30-month period of expansion. Index breakdown:
| Index | August level | July level |
| New Orders | 46.8 | 47.3 |
| Production | 50 | 48.3 |
| Prices | 48.4 | 42.6 |
| Backlog of Orders | 44.1 | 42.8 |
| Employment | 48.5 | 44.4 |
| Supplier Deliveries | 48.6 | 46.1 |
| Inventories | 44 | 46.1 |
| New Export Orders | 46.5 | 46.2 |
| Imports | 48 | 49.6 |
The five manufacturing industries that reported growth in August are: printing and related support activities; transportation equipment; food, beverage and tobacco products; petroleum and coal products; and miscellaneous manufacturing.
The 13 industries reporting contraction in August, in the following order, are: apparel, leather and allied products; furniture and related products; plastics and rubber products; primary metals; fabricated metal products; textile mills; electrical equipment, appliances and components; chemical products; computer and electronic products; paper products; wood products; nonmetallic mineral products; and machinery.