Isophoric News · Tuesday, November 3, 2026
U.S. manufacturing grew for a 10th straight month in October, ISM said, as prices stayed high
The Institute for Supply Management's Manufacturing PMI registered 55.5 percent in October, 1 point above September's 54.5 percent and the 10th consecutive month of expansion, the institute reported on Nov. 2. Its Production Index rose to 59 percent, the highest since November 2021, and its Prices Index fell 2.7 points to 75.2 percent. A reading above 50 percent indicates expansion. The New Orders Index rose 0.2 point to 55.5 percent, the Employment Index slipped 0.3 point to 52.4 percent and the Backlog of Orders Index fell 1.8 points to 54.6 percent, according to the report. On a call Monday, survey committee chair Susan Spence said 66 percent of respondents' comments were negative and 34 percent positive, the third month in a row that sentiment worsened, and she tied the negative turn to inflation, raw material shortages, the Iran war and trade disputes, Manufacturing Dive reported.