U.S. manufacturing activity contracted for the sixth consecutive month in April, according to a report released by the Institute for Supply Management on Monday, although the pace of contraction slowed by more than expected.
The ISM said its manufacturing PMI rose to 47.1 in April from 46.3 in March, with a reading below 50 indicating a contraction. Economists had expected the index to inch up to 46.6.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Economic News
What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
May 01, 2026 15:54 ET Central banks dominated the economics news flow this week with almost all major ones announcing their latest policy decisions and many boosted expectations for a rate hike in June. In other news, several countries released the preliminary data for first quarter economic growth. In the U.S., comments by Fed Chair Jerome Powell were also in focus as his term ends this month.