ISM's Manufacturing Index Declines for Third Month

n index of U.S. manufacturing growth fell for a third straight month in January, the Institute for Supply Management reported Wednesday.

ISM’s January factory index fell to 54.8 from a revised 55.6 in December, the group said in its monthly report.

The index averaged 55.5 for all of 2005, which is the level economists had forecast for January, Bloomberg reported.