U.S. ISM manufacturing PMI falls to 57.2 in March but trend remains bullish
A measure of U.S. manufacturing activity retreated from a 2-1/2-year high in March amid a decline in production and an inventory drawdown, but a surge in factory jobs indicated that the sector’s energy-led recovery was gaining momentum.
Other data on Monday showed construction spending rising to a near 11-year high in February, lifted by a jump in home building investment. The reports pointed to strong fundamentals despite signs of weak economic growth in the first quarter.
“The U.S. economic expansion remains on solid footing even taking into a account what is likely to be a pretty lackluster first-quarter growth profile,” said Tom Porcelli, chief U.S. economist at RBC Markets in New York.
The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said its index of national factory activity fell to a reading of 57.2 last month from 57.7 in February, which was the highest since August 2014.
A reading above 50 indicates an expansion in manufacturing, which accounts for about 12 percent of the U.S. economy.
Seventeen of the 18 manufacturing industries reported growth and no industry reported a contraction. Comments from factories were mostly upbeat, with machinery manufacturers saying that business was up 10 percent to 15 percent.
Transport equipment manufacturers, however, described the industry’s outlook as “relatively flat.” The manufacturing recovery is being driven by the energy sector as steady increases in crude oil prices boost drilling activity.
A report from energy services firm Baker Hughes on Friday showed U.S. drillers added 137 rigs in the first quarter, the most since the second quarter of 2011. That has fueled demand for machinery, resulting in business spending on equipment rising in the fourth quarter for the first time in a year.
Manufacturing is also benefiting from a surge in business sentiment following President Donald Trump’s pledge to pursue business-friendly policies, including cutting corporate taxes and deregulation.
But after last month’s failed attempt by Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives to repeal the Obama administration’s 2010 healthcare law, economists warn that Trump might struggle to implement his agenda.
The dollar rose to a two-week high against a basket of currencies, while U.S. stocks fell after New York and other states challenged the Trump administration on grounds of illegally blocking energy efficiency standards. U.S. Treasuries rose.
