ISM

The ISM services index came in at 53.2, higher than the 52 that economists had been expecting, sending stocks higher on the note. In August, the ISM non services index was 51.5. At last check, the Dow was up 116 points, the Nasdaq was up 35 points, and the S&P 500 was up 14 points, to cross the...

The ISM and construction spending numbers were just released, and showed convergence in the numbers. The ISM showed a reading of 54.4, slightly lower than the 54.8 economists had been expecting. Construction spending was better than expected, showing a rise of 0.4%, versus a drop of 0.4% for the...

Manufacturing activity slowed in July as the ISM index declined to 56.2 from 55.5. However, this reading topped the consensus expectation of 54.2. The new orders and backlog indexes of the reading slipped to 53.5 and 54.5, respectively. Both remain in firm expansion phase over the 50.0 level. The...

Today's release of the Institute of Supply Management Services Index revealed that the services sector grew for the third straight month at the fastest pace in 4 years, indicating that expansion in the sector is underway. But does this mean that job creation is also underway? Some say yes. Alan...