MOSCOW, August 5. /TASS/. The Russian services business activity index (PMI) rose to 49 points in July 2026 from 48.2 points in the previous month, S&P Global reported in its latest study.

"The latest data indicated a slight decrease in output levels at service providers that was the slowest in three months. The drop in activity was linked to weak client demand and a further decline in new business inflows," the statement says.

The study notes that new orders fell for the fourth consecutive month at the start of the third quarter. The rate of decline was modest, slowing to the lowest in three months.

"Firms lowered their staffing numbers amid reports of sufficient capacity and a continued depletion of backlogs of work, albeit with the rate of job shedding cooling from the month before. The level of business optimism meanwhile ticked up but remained well below the series trend," the statement says.

An index value above 50 indicates expansion in business activity, while a value below indicates a slowdown.