WASHINGTON – Manufacturing contracted in the United States and around the world last month, dragged down by economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak.
The Institute for Supply Management, an association of purchasing managers, reported Wednesday that its U.S. manufacturing index fell to 49.1 in March after registering 50.1 in February.
Any reading below 50 signals a contraction. The index had signaled growth in January and February. Also Wednesday J.P. Morgan reported that global manufacturing shrank in March.
Its worldwide manufacturing index registered 47.6 in March. That was a slight improvement on February's 47.1 — but only because Chinese factories began ramping back up last month after being locked down in February to counter