Growth in the key sectors driving China’s economy softened last month, according to official gauges tracking activity at manufacturing, services and construction businesses.
The manufacturing purchasing managers’ index published by China’s National Bureau of Statistics slipped to 51.6 in October, coming in below a median forecast of 52 from economists surveyed by Reuters and closer to the 50-point line delineating expansion from contraction.
The reading represented a fall of 0.4 points from September and a sub-index on output for the gauge, which primarily tracks larger and state-owned enterprises, fell 1.3 points to 53.4. That for new orders dipped 1.9 points to 52.9.