Latest data point toward continued deceleration in China in February, especially in the external sector.Chinese official manufacturing and non-manufacturing purchasing manager indexes (PMI) fell again in February, following a pause in January. The manufacturing PMI came in at 49.2, down from 49.5 in the previous month. The non-manufacturing PMI, while continuing to signal expansion, also fell in February—to 54.3, from 54.7 the previous month.The data show a divergence between the...
Read More »China manufacturing PMIs enter contraction territory
Further economic deceleration is expected ahead.The official Chinese manufacturing purchasing manager indices (PMIs) came in at 49.4 in December, down from 50 in November and below the recent trough in early 2016. This brings PMI survey results below the crucial level of 50, entering contraction territory.The sharp deceleration was evident for both large enterprises and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with the latter showing more weakness. The official PMI figure for large...
Read More »Chinese PMI data points to further growth moderation
More policy support is expected, and may lead to slight rebound in Q4. China’s manufacturing PMIs softened further in September, indicating that growth momentum is likely continued to moderate in Q3 and that the weakness may extend into Q4. In response to the weakening growth momentum, especially in the context of escalating trade tensions with the US, the Chinese government has turned to policy easing since June. The...
Read More »Chinese PMI data points to further growth moderation
More policy support is expected, and may lead to slight rebound in Q4.China’s manufacturing PMIs softened further in September, indicating that growth momentum is likely to continue to moderate in Q3 and that the weakness may extend into Q4.In response to the weakening growth momentum, especially in the context of escalating trade tensions with the US, the Chinese government has since June turned to policy easing. The latest PMI report shows that these policy adjustments may have started to...
Read More »Chinese PMI point to continued expansion
August manufacturing PMI showed solid industrial activity, while domestic demand is holding up well. We are keeping our Chinese GDP forecast unchanged.China’s official manufacturing PMI in August came in at 51.7, rising slightly from July (51.4), and remaining firmly in expansionary territory. The Markit PMI extended its ascendance for the third consecutive month to reach 51.6 in August.Domestic demand seems to be holding up well. The production, new orders and imports sub-indices of the...
Read More »Upbeat PMIs in China point to solid growth momentum in Q2
June PMI surveys suggest that economic activity moderated only slightly in the last quarter, but we maintain our view the deceleration in Chinese growth will be more notable in the second half.China’s official manufacturing PMI rose to 51.7 in June, the second highest reading in 2017. The Markit manufacturing PMI also rebounded to 50.4 in June after having dropped below the 50 threshold in the previous month. The rise in both indices in June suggests that China’s growth momentum in the...
Read More »Momentum remains strong in China, but headwinds ahead
PMI data in China has continued to move higher, meaning the near-term outlook is strong, but tighter controls on the property sector and on monetary policy point to a slowdown in the second half.The official PMI figures for manufacturing and nonmanufacturing rose again in March, extending a rebound that has been evident since early 2016. Sub-indices also remain on a solid upward trend, with the production and new order sub-indices reaching their highest levels since mid-2014 and the new...
Read More »PMI reports point to good second half for Chinese economy
October data suggests China continues to regain momentum, justifying our decision to raise our growth forecast for this year. But we still expect growth to slow in 2017.China’s purchasing manager indices (PMIs) rose strongly in October. Both the official and the Caixin manufacturing PMIs came in at 51.2 , reaching their highest levels since August 2014. The official non-manufacturing PMIs also rose noticeable in October. The strong figures indicate that the improving growth momentum in China...
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