Stock Markets February 27, 2026

Manufacturing PMI Releases Put Industrial Activity in Focus for March 2, 2026

Investors will parse Manufacturing PMI and ISM readings, alongside several ISM subcomponents and short-term Treasury auctions

By Sofia Navarro
Manufacturing PMI Releases Put Industrial Activity in Focus for March 2, 2026

A slate of manufacturing-sector reports and short-term Treasury auctions scheduled for Monday, March 2, 2026, is expected to draw close attention from market participants. Headlining the day are the Manufacturing PMI and the ISM Manufacturing PMI, with additional ISM subindexes and the Atlanta Fed's GDPNow estimate providing further context for economic momentum and inflationary pressures.

Key Points

  • The Manufacturing PMI (forecast 51.2, previous 52.4) and ISM Manufacturing PMI (previous 52.6) are the primary data points on Monday, March 2, 2026.
  • Several ISM subindexes - employment (previous 48.1), prices (previous 59.0), and new orders (previous 57.1) - will be released at 10:00 AM ET, offering more detailed insight into factory conditions.
  • The Atlanta Fed GDPNow estimate (forecast and previous 3.0%) and two short-term Treasury bill auctions (3-month previous 3.590%, 6-month previous 3.525%) are scheduled at 11:30 AM ET and will complement the manufacturing data.

Traders and analysts are set for a concentrated run of data on Monday, March 2, 2026, as several manufacturing indicators and Treasury bill auctions are due to be released. The day’s calendar is dominated by two headline items - the Manufacturing PMI and the ISM Manufacturing PMI - which market participants use to gauge recent momentum in the U.S. industrial sector.

Key scheduled releases

  • 9:45 AM ET - Manufacturing PMI: The forecasted reading is 51.2, down from the previous 52.4. The index measures purchasing managers' assessment of activity in the manufacturing sector; readings above 50 signal expansion while those below 50 indicate contraction.
  • 10:00 AM ET - ISM Manufacturing PMI: The previous reading was 52.6. This composite index aggregates new orders, production, employment, supplier deliveries, and inventories from a panel of over 400 industrial companies and is widely referenced as a barometer of manufacturing health.

Market watchers will also receive several ISM subcomponent readings at 10:00 AM ET that provide additional granularity on manufacturing conditions:

  • ISM Manufacturing Employment: The prior reading stood at 48.1, reflecting the employment component within the ISM report.
  • ISM Manufacturing Prices: Previously at 59.0, this measure tracks prices paid by manufacturers for inputs and serves as an indicator of inflationary pressures within the sector.
  • ISM Manufacturing New Orders Index: The earlier value was 57.1; this component captures the flow of new orders to manufacturers and is often viewed as a leading indicator for production activity.

Outside the manufacturing-specific releases, the Atlanta Fed’s real-time tracking model is scheduled to publish its quarterly growth estimate at 11:30 AM ET:

  • 11:30 AM ET - Atlanta Fed GDPNow: The forecast and previous estimate are both 3.0 percent. This running estimate synthesizes available economic data to gauge real GDP growth for the current quarter.

Also on the short-term funding front, the U.S. Treasury will conduct two bill auctions at 11:30 AM ET that may influence short-term rates and liquidity conditions:

  • 3-Month Bill Auction: The previous yield was 3.590 percent.
  • 6-Month Bill Auction: The prior yield was 3.525 percent.

Collectively, these releases offer multiple lenses on manufacturing activity, price pressures, labor conditions in factories, and near-term funding costs. The ISM measures - built from responses by more than 400 industrial firms - will be reviewed not only for their headline levels but also for movement within individual components such as new orders, employment, and input prices.

Market participants seeking to interpret the day's signals will likely weigh the PMI figures alongside the Atlanta Fed's GDPNow estimate and the results of Treasury bill auctions to form a picture of demand, inflation pressures, and short-term interest-rate dynamics. Given the concentration of related data, Monday's releases could influence trading behavior across fixed income and equity markets that are sensitive to growth and inflation trends.


Further information

If additional updates are needed on release timing or actual readings once published, market participants typically refer to economic calendars and official release channels for real-time figures.

Risks

  • Readings below expectations in the Manufacturing PMI or ISM components could signal softer industrial demand, affecting manufacturing-focused equities and sectors sensitive to cyclical growth.
  • Higher-than-expected ISM Manufacturing Prices could point to continued input-cost inflation, which may influence inflation-sensitive markets and monetary policy expectations.
  • Unanticipated shifts in Treasury bill auction results could alter short-term funding costs, impacting fixed-income markets and liquidity conditions.

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