Updated: 01-Oct-21 10:47 ET

September ISM Manufacturing Index

Updated: 01-Oct-21 10:47 ET

Highlights

• The September ISM Manufacturing Index checked in at 61.1% (Briefing.com consensus 59.5%), up from 59.9% in August. A number above 50.0% is indicative of expansion.
• September marked the 16th straight month of expansion for the manufacturing sector.

Key Factors

• The New Orders Index held steady at a strong 66.7%.
• The Backlog of Orders Index fell to 64.8% from 68.2%.
• The Production Index slipped to 59.4% from 60.0%.
• The New Export Orders Index dropped to 53.4% from 56.6%.
• The Employment Index increased to 50.2% from 49.0%.
• The Prices Index rose to 81.2% from 79.4%.

Big Picture

• The key takeaway from the report is still the same. Demand is strong, but manufacturers and suppliers continue to struggle to meet increasing demand levels due to a range of factors that includes record-long raw material lead times, shortages of basic materials, transportation difficulties, worker absenteeism, and difficulty filling positions.

Category	SEP	AUG	JUL	JUN	MAY
Total Index	61.1	59.9	59.5	60.6	61.2
Orders	66.7	66.7	64.9	66.0	67.0
Production	59.4	60.0	60.8	60.8	58.5
Employment	50.2	49.0	52.9	49.9	50.9
Deliveries	73.4	69.5	72.5	75.1	78.8
Inventories	55.6	54.2	48.9	51.1	50.8
Export Orders	53.4	56.6	55.7	56.2	55.4
Prices paid (not seas adj)	81.2	79.4	85.7	92.1	88.0