ISM’s New Orders Index registered 49.2 percent in July, which is a decrease of 2.4 percentage points when compared to the 51.6 percent reported in June. This is the first month of contraction in the New Orders Index since June of 2009, when it registered 48.9 percent. A New Orders Index above 52.1 percent, over time, is generally consistent with an increase in the Census Bureau’s series on manufacturing orders (in constant 2000 dollars).

The nine industries reporting growth in new orders in July — listed in order — are: Petroleum & Coal Products; Wood Products; Paper Products; Furniture & Related Products; Transportation Equipment; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; Fabricated Metal Products; Computer & Electronic Products; and Chemical Products. The seven industries reporting decreases in new orders in July — listed in order — are: Apparel, Leather & Allied Products; Plastics & Rubber Products; Textile Mills; Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components; Nonmetallic Mineral Products; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; and Machinery.