Service sector PMI at 32th month of growth

The pace of growth among U.S. service industries increased July to August, the Institute for Supply Management said Thursday. The Purchasing Managers Index for non-manufacturing businesses has shown growth for 32 consecutive months with the PMI rising from 52.6 percent in July to 53.7 percent in August. The Business Activity Index, a component index, came in at 55.6 in August, showing growth in that index for the 37th consecutive month. The index for new orders also showed growth for the 37th consecutive month, but the pace of growth slowed in August with the index at 53.7 percent, down from July's reading of 54.3 percent. Numbers above 50 in the report indicate growth, while numbers below 50 indicate a contraction. The Employment Index, which tracks the number of employees, rose from 49.3 percent to 53.8 percent, climbing out of contraction and into positive territory.