Updated: 03-May-21 10:39 ET

April ISM Manufacturing Index

Updated: 03-May-21 10:39 ET

Highlights

• The ISM Manufacturing Index for April decelerated to 60.7% (Briefing.com consensus 65.3%) from 64.7% in March. A number above 50.0% connotes an expansion in manufacturing activity.
• April marked the eleventh straight month of expansion.

Key Factors

• The New Orders Index dipped to 64.3% from 68.0%.
• The Production Index fell to 62.5% from 68.1%.
• The Employment Index dropped to 55.1% from 59.6%.
• The Backlog of Orders Index rose to 68.2% from 67.5%.
• The Inventories Index sunk to 46.5% from 50.8%.

Big Picture

• The key takeaway from the report for many will be the understanding that the Prices component jumped to 89.6% from 85.9% and sits at its highest level since 2008. All 18 industries reported paying higher prices for raw materials for the fourth straight month.

Category	APR	MAR	FEB	JAN	DEC
Total Index	60.7	64.7	60.8	58.7	60.5
Orders	64.3	68.0	64.8	61.1	67.5
Production	62.5	68.1	63.2	60.7	64.7
Employment	55.1	59.6	54.4	52.6	51.7
Deliveries	75.0	76.6	72.0	68.2	67.7
Inventories	46.5	50.8	49.7	50.8	51.1
Export Orders	54.9	54.5	57.2	54.9	57.5
Prices paid (not seas adj)	89.6	85.6	86.0	82.1	77.6