Economy: August 2026

The Institute for Supply Management® (ISM®) released their Manufacturing Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI®) for July 2026:

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Actual: 55.6% (+2.3 points month-on-month)

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Previous month: 53.3%

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Every month, the ISM surveys purchasing and supply executives at hundreds of companies across the country who are involved in manufacturing in some form. The resulting index is watched closely by academics, economists and investors because manufacturing accounts for about 12% of U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The PMI is a reliable barometer of U.S. manufacturing: A PMI above 50% implies that U.S. manufacturing expanded during the month specified, while a reading below 50% implies that the made-in-the-USA sector contracted.

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From Today's Report:

"...Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in July for the seventh consecutive month, say the nation’s supply executives in the latest ISM® Manufacturing PMI® Report..."

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The Following Is A Sampling Of Quotes
From A Diverse Pool Of U.S. Manufacturers:

“We are seeing a very opportunistic and reactive marketplace. If shortage items become available, we opportunistically buy. Some customers are reducing inventory; others are pulling forward demand. As many customers that are slowing down, an equal number are growing. It looks like a lot of shuffling and shifting market share.”
[Chemical Products]

“We continue to operate in a favorable demand environment driven by growth in the semiconductor, AI, advanced packaging, and high-performance computing markets. Recent company reports indicate strong sales growth and continued investment in manufacturing capacity, technology and customer-support capabilities. This scenario supports a positive business outlook and creates opportunities to leverage increased purchasing scale across the enterprise.”
[Computer & Electronic Products]

“Now that it seems the buildout of AI infrastructure globally is nearing real activation, products going into data centers are at full procurement and manufacturing ramp-up. Thus, demand for our semiconductor end products and connectivity (power, networking and photonics) is booming. Similarly, defense is at an all-time high, with most of our product orders going to these two industries. Order volumes for medical, industrial and consumer products are markedly lower.”
[Machinery]

“Aerospace and defense demand continues to be strong and growing, based on business backlogs. Competing for scare supply -- electronics, certain critical minerals and other categories — is challenging on-time fulfillment for our supply chains. This is expected to get worse with co-dependent sectors also remaining strong and restocking challenges for automotive electronics.”
[Transportation Equipment]

“Continued tariffs on products utilized in our product lines are being monitored by the business, which is working to mitigate or limit tariff risk. Geopolitical risk, especially in the Middle East, pertaining to commodity and energy markets remains a concern. There has been some increased cost and transit time for rerouted shipments due to conflicts in the Red Sea, Strait of Hormuz and Suez Canal.”
[Transportation Equipment]

“Business is still solid; we will increase revenue by 3 percent to 5 percent. We are considering foreign steel purchases for early next year because domestic steel mills are getting greedy.”
[Fabricated Metal Products]

“No normalcy in sight in the world of metals. It makes me yearn for the coronavirus pandemic chaos, which was more manageable than whatever this is that we are in. At least business is better; however, the components of good business are not. Sharp pricing downturns in aluminum will make things more interesting, as supply levels will prevent those decreases from taking hold across the board. Getting customers to understand that is not always easy.”
[Primary Metals]

“The pricing volatility and lead-time extensions in this market are arguably worse than the pandemic era. During COVID-19, we saw a surge of price hikes and inventory buy-ups, which caused constraints that eventually leveled out. We are seeing nothing but consistent upward trends for both pricing and lead times that show no signs of slowing down. Specifically, 5-percent to 25-percent price increases for printed circuit board assembly components and 15-percent to 45-percent increases for bare boards are negatively impacting customer demand outlook into next year. This isn’t sustainable.”
[Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components]

“Our customers in Asia continue to procure elsewhere to avoid paying a tariff While the Iran [invasion] was paused, it was terrific to see fuel prices (and delivery costs) falling steadily. Now that skirmishes have resumed, we expect fuel to rise again.”
[Paper Products]

“Definitely a downturn within several of our business units, mainly the consumer products division. High freight costs, both for truck and ocean, and longer lead times are concerning. Pricing was moving downward until the Iran [invasion] started again.”
[Chemical Products]

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