Manufacturers in China signaled a softer improvement in operating conditions at the start of the third quarter.
- Output expanded at the slowest rate for 16 months as new work dropped slightly for the first time since May 2020. Meanwhile, the Covid-19 pandemic continued to hurt export sales, which rose only slightly in July.
- The relatively depressed demand conditions resulted in broadly unchanged employment across the sector. Inflationary pressures eased with both input costs and output charges increasing at softer rates.
- China General Manufacturing PMI slipped from 51.3 in June to 50.3 in July to point to a softer improvement in the manufacturing sector.
Supply chain delays persisted in July, with average delivery times for inputs increasing strongly. Material shortages and transport delays due to the pandemic increased the lead times.
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Source: IHS Markit.
