This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34409196
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| China factory activity shrinks for second month | |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| Factory activity in China shrank for the second month in a row in September, according to the government's official manufacturing survey. | |
| The manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) was at 49.8 from 49.7 in August, but the sector did shrink for the second consecutive month. | The manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) was at 49.8 from 49.7 in August, but the sector did shrink for the second consecutive month. |
| A number below 50 indicates factory activity contracted, while one above shows expansion in the sector. | A number below 50 indicates factory activity contracted, while one above shows expansion in the sector. |
| China's vast manufacturing sector has been struggling to regain momentum. | China's vast manufacturing sector has been struggling to regain momentum. |
| The reading was better than observers had hoped. | |
| Economists were expecting the official PMI to come in at 49.6, which would have been the weakest level since August 2012. August's reading was at a three-year low. | |
| Even though this month's reading was slightly better than forecasts, it still shows that conditions in the country known as the "workshop of the world" are not as rosy as they were. | |
| The world's second largest economy is on track to grow at its slowest pace in a quarter of a century. | |
| The government expects China to grow 7% this year, but a spate of weak economic data has raised questions about whether the Asian giant will miss that target. | |
| The official data also comes ahead of the private manufacturing survey, which looks at smaller to mid-size businesses in the sector. | |
| A preliminary reading of the Caixin/Markit manufacturing PMI last week fell to 47 in September, which was the fastest pace of contraction in six and a half years. | |
| The final figures are due out shortly. |