U.S. manufacturing PMI shows expansion
S&P Global’s U.S. Manufacturing PMI printed 52.4, beating expectations and signaling the fastest expansion in months amid rising business confidence and profits. The print suggests industrial demand is holding even as supply constraints and inflation persist across electronics supply chains. (x.com)
S&P Global’s flash U.S. Manufacturing PMI rose to 52.4 in the March reading, up from 51.6 in February and above consensus forecasts of roughly 51.3. (tradingeconomics.com) The survey showed new orders posting their strongest increase since October 2025 while production growth accelerated month‑over‑month. (tradingeconomics.com) S&P Global said input costs climbed to a near four‑year high, explicitly naming aluminum, chemicals, electronic components, energy and steel among items that firms reported as more expensive. (morningstar.com) The flash composite PMI slipped to 51.4 and the services PMI fell to 51.1 in March, leaving overall private‑sector activity at its weakest since April 2025 despite the manufacturing strength. (msn.com) Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, warned the March flash showed “an unwelcome combination of slower growth and rising inflation” tied to the outbreak of war in the Middle East and related uncertainty compressing demand. (businesstimes.com.sg) S&P Global also flagged that manufacturers’ input‑price gauge jumped to a multi‑month high (roughly a seven‑month peak for factory input inflation), a datapoint market analysts say could bolster the case for cautious Fed policy. (businesstimes.com.sg) The report noted export demand has begun to stabilise after eight months of decline, a development that supported the uptick in new orders in March. (tradingeconomics.com)
