China's purchasing managers' index (PMI) for its domestic manufacturing sector was at 50.9 percent in March this year, up 0.8 percentage points compared to February and standing above 50 percent for six months in a row, according to the figures released by China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on April 1.
In the given month, the production index for China’s manufacturing sector increased by 1.5 percentage points month on month to 52.7 percent, while the new order index for the sector grew 2.2 percentage points compared to the previous month to 52.3 percent. The raw material inventory index for China’s manufacturing sector was 47.5 percent, indicating a month-on-month decrease of two percentage points.
Also in March, the input price index of the main raw materials for the Chinese manufacturing sector was down 4.9 percentage points to 50.6 percent from a month earlier. The employment index for China’s manufacturing sector stood at 49.8 percent, up 2.2 percentage points compared to the previous month, while the supplier delivery time index for the sector in question was at 51.1 percent, up 2.8 percentage points month on month.
Meanwhile, in March, the production index, the new order index, the input price index and the employment index for the Chinese ferrous metal smelting and processing sector were all below 50 percent.