Investing.com - Service sector activity in the U.S. unexpectedly remained steady at a previous 13-month high in December, registering an 83rd consecutive month of growth and bolstering optimism over the U.S. economy, industry data showed on Thursday.
In a report, the Institute of Supply Management (ISM) said its non-manufacturing purchasing manager's index (PMI) remained unchanged at 57.2 in December.
Analysts had expected the index to decrease to 56.6.
On the index, a reading above 50.0 indicates the non-manufacturing sector economy is generally expanding, below 50.0 indicates the sector is contracting.
The Non-Manufacturing Business Activity Index decreased to 61.4, 0.3 points lower than November’s reading of 61.7. Analysts had forecast it to drop to 61.0.
The New Orders Index registered 61.6 in December, 4.6 points higher than the reading of 57.0 in the previous month.
The Employment Index decreased 4.4 points to 53.8 from November’s reading of 58.2.
The Prices Index increased 0.7 points to 57.0 in December from the prior month’s reading of 56.3.
The ISM indicated that that 12 out of the 15 non-manufacturing industries reported growth in December and noted that respondents' comments were mostly positive about business conditions and the overall economy.
Immediately following the report, EUR/USD traded at 1.0547 compared to 1.0543 ahead of the release, GBP/USD was at 1.2331 from 1.2321 earlier, while USD/JPY was at 115.89 from 115.98 prior to the publication.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, traded at 101.95 compared to 102.00 prior to the release.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock markets were trading mixed after the open. The Dow 30 slipped 0.02%, the S&P 500 edged down 0.06%, while the Nasdaq Composite traded up 0.25%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,179.10 a troy ounce, compared to $1,178.35 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $54.11 a barrel from $53.80 earlier.