US ISM Services dropped sharply from 69.1 to 62.0 in December, much worse than expectation of 67.2. Looking at some details, business activity/production dropped from 74.6 to 67.7. New orders dropped from 69.7 to 61.5. employment dropped from 56.5 to 54.9. Supplier deliveries dropped from 75.7 to 63.9. Prices rose slightly from 82.3 to 82.5.
ISM said: “The past relationship between the Services PMI® and the overall economy indicates that the Services PMI® for December (62 percent) corresponds to a 4.5-percent increase in real gross domestic product (GDP) on an annualized basis.”