Manufacturing activity in the U.S. unexpectedly contracted at an accelerated rate in the month of February, according to a report released by the Institute for Supply Management on Friday.
The ISM said its manufacturing PMI dipped to 47.8 in February from 49.1 in January, with a reading below 50 indicating contraction. Economists had expected the index to inch up to 49.5.
The unexpected decrease by the headline index partly reflected a downturn by new orders, as the new orders index slid to 49.2 in February from 52.5 in January.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Business News
June 19, 2026 16:46 ET Major central banks continued to dominate the economic news flow this week too, led by the Federal Reserve, as they announced their latest policy decisions. The Federal Reserve policy session was in focus as it was the first to be led by the new chief Kevin Warsh. In Europe, central banks of the U.K. and Switzerland announced their rate decisions. In Asia, the Bank of Japan drew attention for its policy moves, while data out of China threw some light on the state of the economy.