• The US ISM Manufacturing PMI is foreseen at 47.8 in September, improving further after June’s bottom.
• ISM Prices Paid Index and Employment Index could give hints about the Federal Reserve’s next steps.
• The risk for a EUR/USD corrective advance increased as the pair has fallen for 11 weeks in a row.

The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) will publish the United States September Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) on Monday, October 2. The index is expected to have ticked modestly higher to 47.8 from its previous monthly reading of 47.6. The official Manufacturing PMI has been within contraction levels ever since falling to 49 in November 2022 and slowly moving away from the multi-year low posted last June at 46.

What to expect from the ISM manufacturing PMI report?

Beyond the modest uptick in the headline figure, market players anticipate an improvement in all sub-components. The Employment Index is foreseen at 49 from 48.5 in August, while New Orders are expected to print 47 after posting 46.8 in August. Finally, the ISM Manufacturing Prices is anticipated at 48.9 in September, up 0.5 percentage points from the former reading.

Back in August, the report indicated a ninth month of contraction after a 30-month period of expansion. More relevant, the Prices Index registered 48.4, up 5.8 percentage points compared to the July figure of 42.6. Inflation in the United States (US), as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), rose by more than anticipated in August, while the core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index – the Federal Reserve (Fed) favorite inflation figure –, met expectations while easing from July,  up 3.9% YoY in the same month. 

A higher-than-anticipated ISM Manufacturing PMI Price Index sub-component, which gauges the price change that US manufacturers pay for its inputs, would hint at persistently high inflation extending into September. That should fuel speculation about at least one more rate hike in the US and support the central banks’ idea of “higher for longer” rates. As a result, the risk of an economic setback should increase, and the US Dollar benefits from a continued run to safety.

Investors will also pay attention to the employment-related sub-component ahead of the Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report scheduled for Friday. The tight US labor market is a critical factor when it comes to monetary policy decisions, as it allows the central bank to maintain the restrictive policy. Policymakers see modest signs of loosening labor market conditions, not enough, however, to change the course of monetary policy.

Offering a sneak peek into the US data, analysts at BBH noted: “ISM PMIs will also be important.  Manufacturing PMI will be reported Monday and the headline is expected at 47.9 vs. 47.6 in August. Keep an eye on employment and prices paid, which stood at 48.5 and 48.4 in August, respectively