Updated: 01-Jun-26 10:34 ET
Highlights
- The ISM Manufacturing Index hit 54.0% in May (Briefing.com consensus 53.1%), up from 52.7% in April.
- The dividing line between expansion and contraction is 50.0%, so the May figure suggests an acceleration in the rate of change in manufacturing activity compared to April.
- The New Orders Index increased to 56.8% from 54.1%.
- The Production Index rose to 54.3% from 53.4%.
- The Prices Index fell to 82.1% from 84.6%.
- The Employment Index rose to 48.6% from 46.4%.
- The Backlog of Orders Index rose to 52.2% from 51.4%.
- The Supplier Deliveries Index remained at 60.6%.
- The New Export Orders Index increased to 50.6% from 47.9%.
- The key takeaway from the report is that it continued showing some stagflationary elements for the second consecutive month, as employment remained in contraction—though at a slower rate—while the prices index only dipped slightly from its sharpest increase since early 2022.
| Category | MAY | APR | MAR | FEB | JAN |
| Total Index | 54.0 | 52.7 | 52.7 | 52.4 | 52.6 |
| Orders | 56.8 | 54.1 | 53.5 | 55.8 | 57.1 |
| Production | 54.3 | 53.4 | 55.1 | 53.5 | 55.9 |
| Employment | 48.6 | 46.4 | 48.7 | 48.8 | 48.1 |
| Deliveries | 60.6 | 60.6 | 58.9 | 55.1 | 54.4 |
| Inventories | 49.9 | 49.0 | 40.1 | 48.8 | 47.6 |
| Export Orders | 50.6 | 47.9 | 49.9 | 50.3 | 50.2 |
| Prices paid (not seas adj) | 82.1 | 84.6 | 78.3 | 70.5 | 59.0 |
