China’s Manufacturing Services Outlook Stays Positive

China’s official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) persisted at 51.5 in September, with a reading above 50.0 implying factory output extension. This was an over the task of 51.0 for August, and also over the median expectations in a Bloomberg poll for a climb to 51.3.

Caixin/Markit manufacturing PMI, which concentrates on smaller, private firms, unlike the official index, which focuses on larger, state-owned firms, fell lightly to 53.0 in September from 53.1 in August and under the Bloomberg poll expectation for uninterrupted reading.

The official non-manufacturing PMI, which gauges sentiment in the services and construction sectors, endured at 55.9 in September. This was before the reading of 55.2 for August. Over the median expectations in a Bloomberg poll for a drop to 54.7.

The official manufacturing and non-manufacturing indices have confirmed positive economic activity for seven continuous months.

The official composite PMI was 55.1 in September opposed to 54.5 in August.

In the official manufacturing PMI, the subindex for further export orders increased to 50.8 in September from 49.1 in the prior month, over the watershed mark of 50.0 for the first time after December.

The subindex for imports also increased the territory, growing to 50.4 in September from 49.0 in August.

But the sub-index for employment prevailed under 50.0, although it grew insignificantly to 49.6 from 49.4.

In the official non-manufacturing PMI, the construction sector’s company activities subindex was 60.2, consistent from August. The subindex for the services sector grew to 55.2 from 54.3.

Zhao Qinghe, a senior statistician at the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), said that, although the overall manufacturing demand has developed, the industry’s recovery is still imbalanced. The poll outcomes show that over 50 percent of companies in the textile, clothing and apparel, wood processing, and other manufacturing sectors stated inadequate market demand, which was higher than the manufacturing industry’s overall level. The restoration momentum was still short.

Furthermore, the global epidemic has not yet been completely and adequately controlled. There are still unknown factors in China’s imports and exports. 

The improvement of the service sector has stimulated

The increasing consumer spending in various regions has shown results, citizens’ eagerness to spend has been increasing, and market demand has been adequately released.

In the Caixin/Markit manufacturing PMI, manufacturers reported a sharp and accelerated development in total new work through September. The rate of new order growth was the most precipitous recorded after the start of 2011.

More robust external demand also improved lift sales, with new export business developing at the fleetest pace after August 2017, while employment levels were broadly stable. The positive sentiment level also upgraded to a three-month high, with manufacturers generally certain that production will grow over the next 12 months.

Wang Zhe, the senior economist at the Caixin Insight Group, said that the restoration in manufacturing had persevered its momentum in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, with both the supply and demand growing.