ISM

While economic conditions for the manufacturing and services sectors are mixed, both are expected to see growth in 2026, at different paces, according to the new edition of the Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) Supply Chain Planning Forecast.

The report’s benchmark reading, the PMI, registered a reading of 48.2 (a reading higher than 50 indicates growth), down 0.5% compared to October, contracting, at a faster rate, for the ninth consecutive month, with the overall economy growing, at a slower rate, for the 67th consecutive month.

The October Services PMI, at 52.4 (a reading over 50.0 or above represents expansion and below 50 indicates contraction), increased 2.4% over September's 50.0 reading, which was preceded by expansion in 13 of the previous 14 months before September.

The report’s benchmark reading, the PMI, at 48.7 (a reading of 50 or higher indicates growth), was off 0.4% compared to September, contracting, at a faster rate, for the eighth consecutive month, with the overall economy growing, at a slower rate, for the 66th consecutive month.

The September Services PMI, at 50.0 (a reading of 50.0 or above represents expansion and below indicates contraction) was below a 52.0 August readng, which topped July by 1.9%. This reading is 2.0 below the 12-month high of 52.0 set in August and 0.1% above the May 2025 low of 49.9.

The report’s benchmark reading, the PMI, at 49.1 (a reading of 50 or higher indicates growth), was up 0.4% compared to August, contracting, at a slower rate, for the seventh consecutive month, with the overall economy growing, at a faster rate, for the 65th consecutive month.

The August Services PMI, at 52.0 (a reading of 50 or higher signals growth), rose 1.9% over July’s 50.1 reading.

The August PMI was 0.1% below the 12-month average of 48.8, with January’s 50.9 and October’s 46.9 marking the respective high and low readings for that period.

In this podcast, Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman interviews Steve Miller, Chair of ISM Services Business Survey Committee.

The July Services PMI, at 50.1 (a reading of 50 or higher signals growth), fell 0.7% off of June’s 50.8 reading, growing, at a slower rate, for the second consecutive month.

The report’s benchmark reading, the PMI, came in at 48.0 (a reading of 50 or higher indicates growth), down 1% off of June’s 48.0 reading, and contracting, at a faster rate, for the fifth month in a row.

The June Services PMI, at 50.8 (a reading of 50 or higher signals growth), increased 0.9% over May’s 49.9 reading.

The report’s benchmark reading, the PMI, came in at 49.0 (a reading of 50 or higher indicates growth), up 0.5% from May’s 48.5 reading, which was off 0.2% from April’s 48.7 reading.

The May Services PMI, at 49.9 (a reading of 50 or higher signals growth), fell 1.7% from April’s 51.6 reading. Prior to May, the Services PMI had seen growth in 56 of the previous 59 months, going back to the initial recovery from the pandemic in June 2020.

The report’s benchmark reading, the PMI, came in at 48.5 (a reading of 50 or higher indicates growth), down 0.2% from April’s 48.7 reading. The last three months of declines were preceded by gains, with January and February readings at 50.9 and 50.3, respectively, and were preceded by 26 months of declines.