SIJ - Manufacturing Sector Plummets In April
By Robert Hughes
The Institute for Supply Management's Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index fell to a 41.5 percent reading in April, down from 49.1 percent in March. The April result is the second month in a row below the neutral 50 threshold (see top chart). Overall, the report notes, "Comments from the panel were strongly negative (three negative comments for every one positive comment) regarding the near-term outlook, with sentiment clearly impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and continuing energy market recession. The PMI indicates a level of manufacturing-sector contraction not seen since April 2009, with