US service sector picks up in November - ISM
Business
US service sector picks up in November - ISM
(Reuters) - The U.S. services sector picked up in November amid an increase in business activity, although new orders remained flat and a gauge of input inflation dipped as the lagged effects of higher interest rates start to have a greater impact.
The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said on Tuesday that its non-manufacturing PMI rose to 52.7 in November from 51.8, which was a 5-month low.
A reading above 50 indicates growth in the services industry, which accounts for more than two-thirds of the economy. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the index edging up to 52.0.
The Federal Reserve has raised its policy rate by 525 basis points over the past 20 months to the current 5.25%-5.50% range to quell high inflation largely caused by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the economy continued to flourish over the summer, economists expect demand to weaken this quarter, particularly for services, as consumers shift more of their spending back to goods. That would be welcomed by the U.S. central bank in its battle to bring inflation back to its 2% target rate given the stickiness of service sector inflation.
