ISM: U.S. Manufacturing Gained Momentum in June

The U.S. manufacturing sector picked up pace in June, hinting at a pickup in the economy at the end of a slumping second quarter, according to the closely watched Institute for Supply Management survey released Friday.

The ISM purchasing managers index for the manufacturing sector climbed 1.8% in June to a better-than-expected 55.3, from 53.5 in May.

But that came after a sharp 7% drop in May from April, and the June index remained far below the 60-plus level achieved in the first four months of the year.

The ISM's new orders index rose just 0.6% in June, a suggestion of continuing fragility in the sector.

"New orders and production were both modestly up from last month," the Institute of Supply Management said, adding that manufacturers also were adding jobs at a steady pace.

The sector reported that prices of inputs for manufacturing were still rising but at a much slower pace than in previous months.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2011