ISM Non-Manufacturing Index: The Institute for Supply Management’s non-manufacturing index increased by 0.7 points month on month (+1.3% m/m) to 53.5 in February 2025.

The ISM non-manufacturing survey measures the rate and direction of change in activity in non-manufacturing industries. Surveys are sent to more than 400 purchasing managers in 18 industries. Survey responses reflect the change in the current month compared with the previous month. A value of 50 is neutral, while less than 50 denotes contracting non-manufacturing activity and greater than 50 denotes expanding activity.

Figure 1 breaks down the composite index and sub-indexes. The business activity sub-index was 54.4, while the imports sub-index was 49.6.

The 14 services industries reporting growth in February — listed in order — are: Other Services; Finance & Insurance; Wholesale Trade; Utilities; Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting; Mining; Real Estate, Rental & Leasing; Health Care & Social Assistance; Construction; Transportation & Warehousing; Accommodation & Food Services; Professional, Scientific & Technical Services; Information; and Public Administration. The three industries reporting a contraction in the month of February are: Management of Companies & Support Services; Retail Trade; and Educational Services.

“Implementation of tariffs will have a significant cost impact to our projects. The majority of the capital equipment we purchase is not manufactured in the U.S., or components that make the equipment come from overseas manufacturers. We are also seeing U.S. prices already rise in anticipation, which is a similar reaction of the U.S. suppliers when the previous tariffs were introduced.” [Construction]

At Gerdau, we closely monitor the ISM non-manufacturing index since it is an excellent barometer of the present strength, as well as a window on the likely short-run future, of the U.S. non-manufacturing economy. We have seen that a strengthening non-manufacturing economy translates to improved steel consumption.