The U.S. economy showed a further strengthening in August, as the S&P Global Composite PMI rose to 56.0, up from 54.5 in July 2026. The latest reading, updated on 21 August 2026, points to a faster pace of expansion across both manufacturing and services sectors.
July’s figure of 54.5 had already indicated solid growth, but the August uptick reinforces the view that overall business activity is accelerating. A Composite PMI above the 50.0 threshold signals expansion, and the move deeper into positive territory suggests improving demand conditions and a broad-based increase in output.
With the index now at 56.0, the data for August 2026 underline a notable pick-up in economic momentum compared with the previous month, providing a constructive signal on the near-term outlook for U.S. business activity.
