US Manufacturing Slows in Aug

US manufacturing slows in Aug US manufacturing's growth rate slowed in August, according to data released September 1 by the country's Institute for Supply Management (ISM). The ISM index inched down to 54.5% in August from 54.7% in July. The new orders index for August slipped 1.9 percentage points to 54.2%, and the production index fell a single percentage point to 56.6%. A reading above 50% indicates that the manufacturing economy is generally expanding; below 50% indicates that it is generally contracting. The prices paid index slipped to 73.0% from 78.5% in July. Supplier deliveries inched lower to 55.0% from 55.4% in the previous month. Backlogs of orders rose to 51.5% from 50.5% in July. Inventories inched lower to 50.2% in August from 50.5%.