US Manufacturing Activity Beats Wall Street Estimates Despite Tariff Uncertainty

Contact Your Elected Officials

Investors have worried about a tariff-driven economic slowdown, but Main Streetโ€™s reaction has been mixed.

U.S. manufacturing activity contracted for the second straight month in April, but the sector performed better than market forecasts.

The Institute for Supply Managementโ€™s manufacturing purchasing managersโ€™ index (PMI)โ€”a monthly survey of the industryโ€™s prevailing economic directionโ€”fell to 48.7 last month from 49 in March.

A reading below 50 indicates contraction in a sector that accounts for about 10 percent of the U.S. economy.

Economists had projected the PMI, which has been in contraction territory for 28 of the last 30 months, would decline to 48.

This was a long-awaited report for market watchers as it covered the manufacturing industry since President Donald Trumpโ€™s tariff announcement on April 2. He unveiled the contours of his sweeping trade agenda, and has since raised levies on Chinese goods entering the United States to 145 percent.

The new U.S. tariffs have been expected to significantly influence manufacturingโ€™s short- and long-term performance.

Factory output fell sharply last month as demand eased. New orders, a forward-looking sub-index, tumbled at a slower pace. However, they declined to the lowest reading since May 2022.

Cost pressures remained elevated in the manufacturing sector as prices advanced to their highest levels since June 2022.

Input cost pressures advanced to their highest reading since June. The employment sub-index improved from the previous month, though companies continued to trim their headcount.

โ€œDemand and production retreated and de-staffing continued, as panelistsโ€™ companies responded to an unknown economic environment,โ€ said Timothy Fiore, head of the organizationโ€™s Business Survey Committee, in a release. โ€œPrices growth accelerated slightly due to tariffs, causing new order placement backlogs, supplier delivery slowdowns and manufacturing inventory growth.โ€

Byย Andrew Moran

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

ChatGPT Goes Biblical about End Times!

There are some truly outstanding internet content creators, or...

Bangkok Indians: โ€˜You Are Lucky Manโ€™

In Bangkok, friendly prostitutes outside โ€œmassageโ€ shops tell me Iโ€™m โ€œso handsome man.โ€ Indian men prowling those streets tell me Iโ€™m โ€œlucky man.โ€

Epsteinโ€™s Niece Exposes the Illuminati!

There is a shocking interview by the podcaster Shaun Attwood, an English former ecstasy trafficker turned YouTube podcaster, speaker, activist, and author.

When Gynocrats Attack: Innocent Locker Room Talk Interrupted By Rabid Karen

The question posed: โ€œWho do you think has a...

Obamaโ€™s Treason is a Betrayal of American Democracy and Demands Real Accountability

Few scandals have cast a longer shadow than the 2016 Russia investigationโ€”the manufactured crisis by President Obama designed to cripple Trump's presidency.

Trumps America: Welpโ€ฆ that backfired.

The official @TheDemocrats account posted chart with the caption โ€œTrumpโ€™s Americaโ€ โ€” but didnโ€™t seem to notice how their own graph actually works.

Education Department to Release Billions in Withheld Grant Money for Schools

Dept. of Education said OMB completed a review of 2025 public education allocations โ€œand will begin dispersing funds to the states next week.โ€

Judge Maintains Nationwide Block on Trumpโ€™s Birthright Citizenship Order

A federal judge in Massachusetts has maintained his nationwide block on President Donald Trumpโ€™s policy restricting birthright citizenship.

COVID-19 Pandemic Accelerated Brain Aging Even in People Who Didnโ€™t Get Virus: Study

Brain aging appears to have accelerated by months during COVID-19 pandemic, even in people who did not get sick from the virus, according to study.

Ex-DOJ Officials File Lawsuit Against Bondi Over Terminations

Former DOJ officials filed lawsuit against AG Bondi and the fed. govt, saying they were terminated for work on cases related to Jan. 6 Capitol breach.

Odds of U.S.-EU Trade Deal Are 50โ€“50 Ahead of Tariff Deadline: Trump

President Donald Trump said thereโ€™s a 50โ€“50 chance that the United States will finalize a trade deal with the European Union before an Aug. 1 deadline.

Trump Pulls Habbaโ€™s Nomination for New Jerseyโ€™s Top Prosecutor, Making Her Acting US Attorney

President Trump withdrew his nomination of Alina Habba to serve as NJโ€™s top federal prosecutor, making her Acting US Attorney.

Trump Says He Wants Muskโ€™s Companies to โ€˜Thrive Like Never Beforeโ€™

On Thursday, President Trump said, โ€œI want Elon, and all businesses within our Country, to THRIVE, in fact, THRIVE like never before!โ€
spot_img

Related Articles