The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China’s manufacturing sector was at 49.4 percent in January this year, down 0.3 percentage points compared to December last year, as announced by China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on February 1.
In the given month, the production index for China's manufacturing sector was at 51.4 percent, down 0.8 percentage points month on month, while the overall new order index for the sector was at 49.5 percent, down 0.7 percentage points compared to the previous month.
The raw material inventory index for China's manufacturing sector was at 46.8 percent in January, down 0.8 percentage points compared to the previous month. Also in January, the employment index for China's manufacturing sector stood at 47.8 percent, up 0.4 percentage points month on month, while the supplier delivery time index for the sector in question was at 50.5 percent, remaining above the 50 percent threshold.