|

US: ISM Manufacturing PMI declines to 46.7 in October vs. 49 expected

  • ISM Manufacturing PMI worsened unexpectedly to 46.7 in October.
  • US Dollar Index trims gains, retreats from 107.00.

The economic activity in the US manufacturing contracted in October, with the ISM Manufacturing PMI falling to 46.7 from 49 in September. This reading came in worse than the market expectation of 49.

Key takeaways from the report:

The Manufacturing PMI registered 46.7 percent in October, 2.3 percentage points lower than the 49 percent recorded in September.

The New Orders Index remained in contraction territory at 45.5 percent, 3.7 percentage points lower than the figure of 49.2 percent recorded in September. 

The Production Index reading of 50.4 percent is a 2.1-percentage point decrease compared to September’s figure of 52.5 percent. 

The Prices Index registered 45.1 percent, up 1.3 percentage points compared to the reading of 43.8 percent in September. 

The Backlog of Orders Index registered 42.2 percent, 0.2 percentage point lower than the September reading of 42.4 percent. 

The Employment Index registered 46.8 percent, down 4.4 percentage points from the 51.2 percent reported in September.

Market reaction

The US Dollar Index pulled back modestly after the ISM and the JOLTS report, retreating from 107.00 to 106.85. It was still up for the day. Now attention is set on the Federal Reserve’s decision. 
 

Author

Matías Salord

Matías started in financial markets in 2008, after graduating in Economics. He was trained in chart analysis and then became an educator. He also studied Journalism. He started writing analyses for specialized websites before joining FXStreet.

More from Matías Salord
Share:

Markets move fast. We move first.

Orange Juice Newsletter brings you expert driven insights - not headlines. Every day on your inbox.

By subscribing you agree to our Terms and conditions.

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD gathers recovery momentum, trades near 1.1750

Following the correction seen in the second half of the previous week, EUR/USD gathers bullish momentum and trades in positive territory near 1.1750. The US Dollar (USD) struggles to attract buyers and supports the pair as investors await Tuesday's GDP data ahead of the Christmas holiday. 

GBP/USD knocks ten-week highs ahead of holiday slowdown

GBP/USD found room on the high side on Monday, kicking off a holiday-shortened trading week with a fresh spat of Greenback weakness, bolstering the Pound Sterling into its highest bids in ten weeks. Pound traders are largely brushing off the latest interest rate cut from the Bank of England as the UK’s central bank policy strategy leaves the water murky for rate-cut watchers.

Gold buying remains unabated; fresh all-time peak and counting

Gold builds on the previous day's blowout rally through the $4,400 mark and continues scaling new record highs through the Asian session on Tuesday. Bets for more interest rate cuts by the US Fed, renewed US Dollar selling bias, and rising geopolitical uncertainties turn out to be key factors driving flows towards the bullion. Traders now look to the delayed release of the revised US Q3 GDP print and US Durable Goods Orders for a fresh impetus.

Year ahead 2026: Where will Bitcoin be in a year’s time?

Bitcoin, which accounts for roughly 60% of total crypto market capitalization, entered 2025 with unstoppable momentum under a crypto‑friendly Trump administration. The rally was supported by major regulatory wins and accelerating institutional adoption.

Ten questions that matter going into 2026

2026 may be less about a neat “base case” and more about a regime shift—the market can reprice what matters most (growth, inflation, fiscal, geopolitics, concentration). The biggest trap is false comfort: the same trades can look defensive… right up until they become crowded.

XRP steadies above $1.90 support as fund inflows and retail demand rise

Ripple (XRP) is stable above support at $1.90 at the time of writing on Monday, after several attempts to break above the $2.00 hurdle failed to materialize last week. Meanwhile, institutional interest in the cross-border remittance token has remained steady.