Just caught the December service index numbers and honestly they're pretty interesting. The ISM services reading jumped to 54.4, way higher than what economists were calling for (52.3). That's the strongest service index performance we've seen in over a year, so there's definitely something going on in the services sector right now.

What's really catching my eye is the breakdown. New orders absolutely surged - went from 52.9 to 57.9 month-over-month. Employment also ticked up for the first time in seven months, which is a decent sign. Business activity hit 56.0, highest in a year. So the service index is basically signaling pretty solid momentum heading into year-end.

That said, there's a flip side. The inflation side of the service index stayed elevated at 64.3 - still above 60 for the 13th straight month. And manufacturing? Total opposite story. The manufacturing PMI dropped to 47.9, contracting again. So you've got this split where services are firing but manufacturing is struggling. Interesting divergence to watch if you're trying to get a read on where the economy's actually heading.