The Institute for Supply Management’s PMI for November notched down a modest 0.3 points when compared to October’s index but remained in growth territory at 56.6. A reading above 50.0 indicates the sector is expanding, while a reading below 50.0 indicates it is contracting. Expectations called for a 56.5 reading; so the modest change from October and the lack of disparity between analyst expectations and actual results is a bit of a ‘relief” from the uncertainty and larger index swings that occurred from May through September per the summary below:
| Month | Actual PMI | % Change From Prior | Expected PMI | Diff. From Expected |
| Nov-10 | 56.6 | -0.53% | 56.5 | 0.1 |
| Oct-10 | 56.9 | 4.60% | 54 | 2.9 |
| Sep-10 | 54.4** | -3.37% | 54.8 – 55.1 | -0.4 to -0.7 |
| Aug-10 | 56.3 | 1.44% | 52.9 | 3.4 |
| Jul-10 | 55.5 | -1.25% | 54.2 | 1.3 |
| Jun-10 | 56.2 | -5.86% | 59 | 0.2 |
| May-10 | 59.7 | -1.16% | 59.4 | 0.3 |
**September PMI marks lowest index reading in 2010
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