(CercleFinance.com) – Growth in service sector activity slowed in the United States in December, shows the monthly survey from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) published this Friday.
The ISM services index fell to 50.6 last month, compared to 52.7 in November, while economists expected it to be around 52 on average.
However, this is its 12th consecutive month of expansion, that is to say above the 50 point mark which separates growth and contraction in activity.
The ISM emphasizes that its survey particularly signals a fall in new orders, but also in employment.
The component of new orders received by companies in the sector thus fell by 2.7 points, rising to 52.8 compared to 55.5 the previous month.
Employment for its part deteriorated significantly, to 43.3 compared to 50.7 in November, due to a search for cost reductions in the face of current economic uncertainty.
The sub-index of prices paid in services, closely followed in the current inflationary context, for its part fell from 58.3 to 57.4.
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