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
US manufacturing activity slows in August, input prices remain elevated
Photograph: Times of India (embedded from source)
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
Percentages are shares of the 6 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 8 of the 14 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
14 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
None of the 6 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
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.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 3 times, most recently on 1 Sept 2026, 16:00, and will add the sides that appear.
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
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated left has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Centre
3 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
3 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 6 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 0% are rated left, 50% are rated centre, 50% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 14. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is US Manufacturing Activity Cools in August left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 6 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of US Manufacturing Activity Cools in August biased?
- US Manufacturing Activity Cools in August is one event reported by 14 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?
- 14 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
14 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
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Centre
3- US manufacturing activity slows in August; input prices still elevated (opens Reuters in a new tab)
- US manufacturing activity slows in August; input prices still elevated (opens WTVB in a new tab)
- Manufacturing PMI® at 54.6%; August 2026 ISM® Manufacturing PMI® Report (opens PR Newswire in a new tab)
PR Newswire — is PR Newswire biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
3- US manufacturing activity slows in August; input prices still elevated (opens Business Times in a new tab)
Business Times — is Business Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US manufacturing growth cools in August as input prices stay high (opens Times of India in a new tab)
Times of India — is Times of India biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ISM Manufacturing slips more than expected in August; economy expands for 22nd straight month (opens Seeking Alpha in a new tab)
Seeking Alpha — is Seeking Alpha biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
8- Weaker US Manufacturing PMI than Expected (opens Dagens industri in a new tab)
Dagens industri — is Dagens industri biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ISM Manufacturing PMI set to signal steady expansion in ... (opens FXStreet in a new tab)
- Price Pressure Is Very Strong in the USA (opens Portfolio in a new tab)
- The U.S. Industrial Activity Index Dropped to 54.6 per Cent in August (opens 1prime.ru in a new tab)
- USA, Manufacturing ISM in August Drops More than Expected to 54.6 Points (opens teleborsa.it in a new tab)
teleborsa.it — is teleborsa.it biased? Our profile of this outlet
- U.S. Industrial PMI Measured by ISM Drops to 54.6 in August (opens Portal GMC Online in a new tab)
Portal GMC Online — is Portal GMC Online biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US ISM Manufacturing Slows to 54.6 as Orders and Hiring Lose Momentum - ActionForex (opens Action Forex in a new tab)
Action Forex — is Action Forex biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US manufacturing activity slows in August; input prices still elevated (opens Blue Water Healthy Living in a new tab)
Blue Water Healthy Living — is Blue Water Healthy Living biased? Our profile of this outlet
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