Global| Jan 06 2009U.S. ISM Nonmanufacturing Index Improved Slightly
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
For December, the Composite Index for the nonmanufacturing sector from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) improved slightly to 40.6 from an unrevised 37.3 during November. The figure was firmer than Consensus expectations for a [...]
For December, the Composite Index for the nonmanufacturing sector from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) improved slightly to 40.6 from an unrevised 37.3 during November. The figure was firmer than Consensus expectations for a reading of 37.0 but it was still near the lowest in the series' relatively brief ten year history. A level of these ISM indices below 50 indicates declining activity.
The nonmanufacturing business activity sub-index also made a bit more than half of the sharp November decline, but at 39.6 it was still near the record low for the series. Since the series' inception in 1997 there has been a 48% correlation between the level of the business activity index for the nonmanufacturing sector and the Q/Q change in real GDP for the services and the construction sectors.
In addition, the employment index also edged higher to a reading of 34.7. However, that still indicated sharp layoffs and was near the low for the series. Since the series' inception in 1997 there has been a 56% correlation between the level of the ISM nonmanufacturing employment index and the m/m change in payroll employment in the service-producing plus the construction industries.
The new orders sub-index edged up to a still low 39.9.
Pricing power fell further last month and the reading of 36.0 was a new record low for the series. Since its inception ten years ago, there has been a 60% correlation between the price index and the q/q change in the GDP services chain price index.Beginning with the January 2008 Nonmanufacturing Report On Business®, the composite index is calculated as an indicator of the overall economic condition for the non-manufacturing sector. It is a composite index based on the diffusion indexes for four of the indicators (business activity, new orders, employment and supplier deliveries) with equal weights. The latest report from the ISM can be found here.
ISM surveys more than 370 purchasing managers in more than 62 industries including law firms, hospitals, government and retailers. The nonmanufacturing survey dates back to July 1997.
| ISM Nonmanufacturing Survey | December | November | December '07 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Composite Index | 40.6 | 37.3 | 53.2 | 47.3 | 53.5 | 55.7 |
| Prices Index | 36.0 | 36.6 | 71.5 | 66.1 | 63.8 | 65.3 |
Tom Moeller
AuthorMore in Author Profile »Prior to joining Haver Analytics in 2000, Mr. Moeller worked as the Economist at Chancellor Capital Management from 1985 to 1999. There, he developed comprehensive economic forecasts and interpreted economic data for equity and fixed income portfolio managers. Also at Chancellor, Mr. Moeller worked as an equity analyst and was responsible for researching and rating companies in the economically sensitive automobile and housing industries for investment in Chancellor’s equity portfolio. Prior to joining Chancellor, Mr. Moeller was an Economist at Citibank from 1979 to 1984. He also analyzed pricing behavior in the metals industry for the Council on Wage and Price Stability in Washington, D.C. In 1999, Mr. Moeller received the award for most accurate forecast from the Forecasters' Club of New York. From 1990 to 1992 he was President of the New York Association for Business Economists. Mr. Moeller earned an M.B.A. in Finance from Fordham University, where he graduated in 1987. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from George Washington University.
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