U.S. non-manufacturing activity in March expanded at the slowest pace in five months, an industry survey showed on Wednesday.
The Non-Manufacturing Index (NMI), which measures activity in the U.S. service sector, registered 55.2 in March, 2.4 points lower than the February reading of 57.6, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said in its monthly survey.
The NMI survey covers all sectors outside of manufacturing.
A reading above 50 percent indicates expansion of the service sector.
The business activity index dropped 4.7 points to 58.9; the new orders component of the index, a signal of future business, went down 2.3 points to 58.9; the employment index fell 3.6 points to 51.6.
The majority of the respondents' comments indicate a positive outlook on business conditions and the overall economy, said the ISM.
The survey also found that some industries were concerned about the uncertainty of the government's policies on health care, trade and immigration.
A recent survey released by the ISM showed that U.S. manufacturing activity also expanded at a slower pace in March, but businesses are generally optimistic about their outlook.
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