The Institute for Supply Management said Tuesday that its headline index for the service sector rose to 54.5% in March from 53.4% in February .
Consensus estimates compiled by news organizations called for the index to be somewhere around 54.0% to 54.5%.
Readings above 50% in such diffusion indexes are seen as a sign of economic growth, and vice-versa. The farther an indicator is above or below 50%, the greater or smaller the rate of change.