|

US ISM Services PMI rises to 53.5 in February vs. 52.6 expected

  • ISM Services PMI improved to 53.5 in January.
  • US Dollar stays under heavy selling pressure despite the upbeat PMI report.

The economic activity in the US service sector continued to expand an accelerating pace in February, with the ISM Services PMI rising to 53.5 from 52.8 in January. This reading came in above the market expectation of 52.6.

Other details of the report showed that the Prices Paid Index, the inflation component, rose to 62.6 from 60.4, while the Employment Index improved to 53.9 from 52.3.

Market reaction

The US Dollar struggles to benefit from the upbeat ISM Services PMI data. At the time of press, the US Dollar Index was down 0.9% on the day at 104.55.

Author

Eren Sengezer

As an economist at heart, Eren Sengezer specializes in the assessment of the short-term and long-term impacts of macroeconomic data, central bank policies and political developments on financial assets.

More from Eren Sengezer
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD clings to gains around 1.1800

EUR/USD manages to regain composure and retests the 1.1800 region in quite a positive start to the week. The pair’s bounce follows the US Dollar’s offered stance post-SCOTUS ruling ahead of important US data and Fedspeak on Tuesday.

GBP/USD looks stuck around 1.3500 amid firm gains

GBP/USD is pushing further north on Monday, revisiting the 1.3500 hurdle and beyond. Cable’s uptick is largely being fuelled by the broader softness in the Greenback, amid lingering uncertainty around tariffs.

Gold pops above $5,200, four-week highs

Gold is holding onto its bullish tone on Monday, reaching new multi-week highs just past the $5,200 mark per troy ounce. Fresh trade-war concerns, coupled with rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, are keeping demand for the yellow metal well on the rise.

Ethereum Price Forecast: BitMine's holdings reach 4.42 million ETH as Fundstrat predicts 87% win-ratio

Ethereum (ETH) treasury firm BitMine Immersion Technologies (BMNR) scooped up 51,162 ETH last week, marking its largest purchase since December.

Supreme Court nixes tariffs, Trump teases 15% global tariff

On February 20th, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump’s global tariffs under IEEPA authority were unconstitutional, effectively nullifying the framework. However, the relief was short-lived. Within hours, Trump floated a 15% blanket tariff under an alternative legal authority.

XRP recovers slightly as bearish sentiment dominates crypto market

Ripple is rising above $1.40 at the time of writing on Monday amid fresh tariff-triggered headwinds in the broader cryptocurrency market. The sell-off to $1.33, the token’s intraday low, can be attributed to macroeconomic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions and risk-averse sentiment among other factors.