Reports on US economic data and comments from senior officials reported during New York hours. The results of the August US manufacturing PMI, ISM manufacturing index, job openings and construction spending, along with comments from Federal Reserve officials, were reported.
The final reading of the US manufacturing PMI released tonight was 53.9, compared with a forecast of 53.4 and a preliminary reading of 53.2. The ISM manufacturing index came in at 54.6, below the forecast of 55.2 and the previous reading of 55.6.
In employment-related data, US job openings in July were reported at 7.271 million, compared with a forecast of 7.313 million and a previous reading of 7.182 million, revised from 7.359 million.
Construction spending fell 0.5% month on month in the July report, while both the previous reading and the forecast were 0.0%. Some analysts said these indicators continued to suggest a slowdown in economic activity.
Among the comments released at the same time, Federal Reserve Governor Barr said officials should signal their readiness to raise interest rates if the slowdown in inflation was insufficient, emphasizing that there was scope to assess the monetary policy stance depending on price trends.