Continuing the growth pattern laid out in the first quarter, manufacturing growth to start the second quarter in April was strong, according to the monthly Manufacturing Report on Business released by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).
The PMI, the index used by the ISM to measure manufacturing activity, saw a 1.2 increase from March to 54.9 in April, which is 0.5 percent above the 12-month average of 54.4. The PMI is still over the 50 mark—which is the benchmark of strong economic activity—in 16 of the last 17 months, coupled with the overall economy growing for 59 consecutive months, according to the ISM.
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