Skip to the story
All StoriesPoliticsConflict & SecurityBusiness & EconomyScience & TechHealthClimateMedia
All stories
Business & Economy30 outlets ran this3 min read

US Manufacturing Activity Cools in August

ISM PMI falls to 54.6, with new orders and employment showing declines.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published Updated
US manufacturing activity slows in August, input prices remain elevated

What this story says

  • The ISM manufacturing PMI decreased to 54.6 in August from 55.6 in July.
  • New orders, a key indicator of future production, fell to 53.7 from 56.7.
  • The employment measure within the ISM survey dropped to 51.2.
  • Prices paid for inputs remained unchanged at a high 71.1, suggesting ongoing inflationary pressures.

Who covered it

Left 8%(1)Centre 59%(8)Right 33%(4)

Percentages are shares of the 13 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 17 of the 30 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

78/100

Craft

65/100

Hype

15/100

30 sources · methodology

Missing from the left

Only 1 of the 13 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.

A reader who follows the left would not have seen this. We report the absence rather than explain it: outlets choose what to cover for many reasons, and we have no evidence about which one applies here.

Manufacturing activity in the United States slowed in August, according to the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) survey. The headline purchasing managers' index (PMI) fell to 54.6 from 55.6 in July, indicating a continued, though moderated, expansion in the sector. This reading was below the 55.2 forecast by economists polled by Reuters.

Several sub-indices within the report showed declines. The new orders measure slipped to 53.7 in August from 56.7 the previous month. The employment gauge also decreased, falling to 51.2 from 52.8 in July. Meanwhile, the supplier deliveries index saw a slight increase to 59.3 from 58.9, suggesting ongoing supply chain constraints.

Divergent views on price pressures

While the ISM survey's price paid index remained unchanged at 71.1, indicating persistently high input costs, the Times of India noted that this suggests inflation could remain above the Federal Reserve's 2% target. Portfolio highlighted that price pressure is 'very strong' in the USA, with the price component unchanged at 71.1.

What the coverage left out

None of the reports printed below mention the potential impact of the fading boost from businesses front-loading orders to avoid higher prices and shortages stemming from the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, a detail included in the Times of India's full report. Furthermore, no reports mention the specific figure for the stock of unfinished work decreasing, nor the export orders edging up, also detailed in the Times of India's full report. The potential support for manufacturing from an artificial intelligence buildout and the replenishment of business inventories, as mentioned in the Times of India, were also absent from the digests.

Tags:#USManufacturing#ISM#PMI#Economy#Inflation

Coverage settled. We checked this 18 times and stopped on 6 Sept 2026, 17:15. The figures above are what it finished at.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

1 rated outlet

We have not written our reading of the left coverage of this story. The left-rated outlets that ran it are listed below.

Centre

8 rated outlets

  • The centre-rated reports led with the overall slowdown in manufacturing activity. Both WTVB and PR Newswire highlighted that the ISM manufacturing PMI fell to 54.6 in August, a decrease from the previous month's reading. They also noted that input prices remained elevated amid supply chain strains. PR Newswire's headline specifically stated the PMI was 'at 54.6%; August 2026 ISM® Manufacturing PMI® Report', framing it as a factual release of the data.

Right

4 rated outlets

  • The right-rated reports focused on the cooling of manufacturing growth and the persistence of high input prices. Times of India's headline stated, 'US manufacturing growth cools in August as input prices stay high'. Business Times also reported that 'US manufacturing activity slows in August; input prices still elevated'. Seeking Alpha's headline noted that 'ISM Manufacturing slips more than expected in August', while also mentioning the economy expands for the 22nd straight month.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover US Manufacturing Activity Cools in August?
Of the 13 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 8% are rated left, 59% are rated centre, 33% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 30. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is US Manufacturing Activity Cools in August left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 13 rated outlets on this story, 8% are rated left, 59% are rated centre, 33% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of US Manufacturing Activity Cools in August biased?
US Manufacturing Activity Cools in August is one event reported by 30 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting US Manufacturing Activity Cools in August?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered US Manufacturing Activity Cools in August?
30 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What is the ISM manufacturing PMI?
The ISM manufacturing PMI, or Purchasing Managers' Index, is a key economic indicator that measures the health of the US manufacturing sector. A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 suggests contraction.
How did US manufacturing perform in August?
US manufacturing activity eased in August, with the ISM PMI falling to 54.6 from 55.6 in July. This indicates continued growth, but at a slower pace than the previous month.
What were the key components that declined?
The new orders measure, a forward-looking indicator, slipped to 53.7 from 56.7. The employment gauge also fell to 51.2 from 52.8, suggesting a softening in hiring within the manufacturing sector.
What is the status of input prices?
Prices paid for manufacturing inputs remained unchanged at a high 71.1 in August. This indicates persistent inflationary pressures within the supply chain, which could affect future pricing.

Read it at the source

30 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

1

Centre

8

Right

4

Not rated

17
Show 9 more

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

More in Business & Economy

All Business & Economy →
SK Hynix is attempting to obtain approval from the US to export chipmaking equipment to China.2 min readSK Hynix seeks US approval for China chip equipment exportsRead storyDiesel Prices Rise Sharply Ahead of Midterm Elections2 min readDiesel Prices Rise Sharply Ahead of Midterm ElectionsRead storyThe interim president of the B.C. Lumber Trade Council says members are disappointed that Canadian lumber producers still face unjustified and punitive trade measures. (Ben Nelms/CBC)2 min readUS sets softwood lumber import tax at almost 35%Read story

Elsewhere on the site

Lisa CookPolitics•1 min readLisa Cook's lawyers call White House committee 'demonstrably biased'Lake County commissioners approved a resolution asking the U.S. Forest Service to relocate the dirt road running through the cemeteryPolitics•3 min readUS DOJ warns California officials over noncitizen ballotsICE vehicle struck man during pursuit, family says target was deceasedPolitics•4 min readICE vehicle struck man during pursuit, family says target was deceasedUS bars drones near Mexico border to counter cartel threatsConflict & Security•3 min readUS bars drones near Mexico border to counter cartel threats
US manufacturing activity cools in August | MediaBias News