Tough news for the economy: Manufacturing activity continued to lag in November with a decline in inventories and new orders, according to the latest ISM Manufacturing reading. The November reading came in at 48.1, down slightly from the previous month’s reading of 48.3.
The number denotes the percentage of manufacturers planning to expand operations. A reading below 50 represents contraction; November was the fourth straight month below the expansion level.
Manufacturing is considered a reliable bellwether for how the rest of the economy is doing, though it accounts for only about one-fifth of GDP. Inside the ISM report, new orders slumped to 47.2, down 1.9 percentage points from October’s 49.1. Inventories, a key input for GDP, came in at 45.5, down 3.4 points from the previous month.
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