The report’s key metric, the PMI, came in at 48.4 (a reading of 50 or higher indicates growth), down 0.6% from November’s 49.0, contracting, at a faster rate, for the second consecutive month. The last two months of contraction were preceded by a stretch of 29 consecutive months of growth. ISM added that the overall economy contracted in December, following 30 consecutive months of growth.