Jeff Berman, Group News Editor

Latest from Jeff

ISM reports that services sector sees continued growth in March

Wednesday, April 3, 2024 · Jeff Berman The Services PMI, at 51.5 (a reading of 50 or higher signals growth), fell 1.2% in March, while growing, at a slower rate, for the 15th consecutive month.

ISM reports manufacturing sees growth in March, snaps 16-month stretch of contraction

Tuesday, April 2, 2024 · Jeff Berman The report’s benchmark metric, the PMI came in at 50.3 (a reading of 50 or higher indicates growth), topping March’s 47.8, and contracting after 16 months of declines. ISM added that the overall economy grew, at a faster rate, in March, for the 47th consecutive month. The…

February and year-to-date U.S. import volume is solid, reports S&P Global Market Intelligence

Monday, March 25, 2024 · Jeff Berman February imports, at 2.44 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) increased 21% compared to February 2023. And when taking into account, the timing of the Lunar New Year, coupled with the impact of ongoing Red Sea and Panama Canal disruptions, the firm explained that…

2024 retail sales forecast calls for growth, says National Retail Federation

Thursday, March 21, 2024 · Jeff Berman NRF is pegging 2024 retail sales to increase between 2.5%-to-3.5% to between $5.23 trillion and $5.28 trillion. Should this forecast come to fruition, NRF said that it would top 2023 retail sales, which rose 3.6% to $5.1 trillion.

February retail sales see annual and sequential gains, reports Commerce and NRF

Thursday, March 14, 2024 · Jeff Berman Commerce reported that February retail sales, at $700.7 billion, rose 0.6% compared to January and were up 1.5% annually.

ISM reports another month of services sector growth in February

Tuesday, March 5, 2024 · Jeff Berman The Services PMI, at 52.6 (a reading of 50 or higher signals growth), fell 0.8% in February, while growing, at a slower rate, for the 14th consecutive month. This marks growth in 44 of the last 45 months, with December 2022 being the one month with a decline over that period.

February manufacturing output declines, notes ISM

Friday, March 1, 2024 · Jeff Berman The report’s benchmark metric, the PMI came in at 47.8 (a reading of 50 or higher indicates growth), down 1.3% compared to January’s 49.1 reading, contracting, at a faster rate, for the 16th consecutive month.

ISM reports services economy is off to a solid start in 2024

Monday, February 5, 2024 · Jeff Berman The Services PMI, at 53.4 (a reading of 50 or higher signals growth), was up 2.9% in January, growing, at a faster rate, for the 13th consecutive month. This marks growth in 43 of the last 44 months, with December 2022 being the one month with a decline over that period. ISM…

Manufacturing Gets Closer to Growth Territory in January, Reports ISM

Friday, February 2, 2024 · Jeff Berman The report’s benchmark metric, the PMI, came in at 49.1(a reading of 50 or higher indicates growth), up 2.0% over January’s 47.1 reading, contracting, at a slower rate, for the 15th consecutive month. The past 15 months of contraction were preceded by a stretch of 28…

U.S.-bound imports are up in December and down for all of 2023, reports S&P Global

Tuesday, January 16, 2024 · Jeff Berman December imports, at 2.2 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), increased 9% in December, matching November’s annual percentage gain. For all of calendar year 2023, S&P reported that imports fell 8.5%, to 28.9 million TEU, while the fourth quarter posted an 8%…

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