ISM Services Index Fell to 41.9 in January From 54.4

ISM Services Index Fell to 41.9 in January From 54.4

Feb. 5 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. service industries unexpectedly contracted in January as the housing slump deepened and consumer spending cooled.

The Institute for Supply Management's non-manufacturing index, which reflects almost 90 percent of the economy, fell to 41.9, the lowest since October 2001, from 54.4 the prior month, the Tempe, Arizona-based ISM said. A reading of 50 is the dividing line between growth and contraction. The group also issued a new composite measure.

The worst housing slump in a quarter-century is spreading throughout the economy, hurting businesses such as builders, retailers, wholesalers and mortgage lenders. The report adds to concern Americans are spending less as job losses mount, raising the risk the economy may tip into a recession, economists said.

``Companies are becoming cautious,'' Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist at Global Insight Inc. in Lexington, Massachusetts, said before the report. ``The economy will be contracting in the first half.''

BLOOMBERG