PMI fra Markit for USA’s serviceindustri – læs hele meddelelsen her
February data pointed to a fractional reduction in U.S. service sector business activity, which ended a 27-month period of sustained growth. At the same time, new business volumes expanded at the slowest rate since January 2015 and service providers were the least optimistic about their growth prospects for five-and-a-half years.
Survey respondents noted that heightened uncertainty about wider economic outlook, and reluctance among clients to commit to new projects, were factors that had weighed on their business sentiment. Adjusted for seasonal influences, the final Markit U.S. Services Business Activity Index registered 49.7 in February, down from 53.2 in January and below the neutral 50.0 value for the first time in almost two-and-a-half years.
As a result, the latest reading indicated the weakest service sector performance the government shutdown disrupted business activity in October 2013. The seasonally adjusted final Markit U.S. Composite PMI™ Output Index posted 50.0 in February, thereby signalled that private sector output was unchanged over the month.
Moreover, the index was down from 53.2 in January and the weakest recorded since October 2013. Markit U.S. Composite PMI™ Output Index Source: Markit, US. Bureau of Economic Analysis. While temporary disruptions related to heavy snowfall on the east coast was a factor weighing on the services index, anecdotal evidence from survey respondents also suggested that softer new business growth and concerns about the underlying economic outlook had placed downward pressure on business activity during February.
Growth of incoming new work has now eased for three consecutive months, with the latest upturn the weakest since the start of 2015. Although service providers pointed to generally supportive economic conditions, some reported more cautious spending patterns among clients and intense competition to secure new work.
