
China's Manufacturing Activity Eases
HONG KONG (TheStreet) -- China's manufacturing activity eased slightly in December, although it remained in expansion mode, according to a survey of the country's purchasing managers.
The China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing Saturday said its purchasing managers index (PMI) fell to 53.9 in December from 55.2 in November, the
Associated Press
reported. It was the first decline in five months, the
AP
noted.
A reading of more than 50 indicates expansion in the economy, while a reading of less than 50 indicates contraction.
A subindex of input prices for raw materials, energy and supplies declined to 66.7 last month from 73.5 in November, the
AP
reported.
That should be good news for China's policymakers, who are trying to put the brakes on inflation, which rose to a 28-month high of 5.1% in November.
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As part of its inflation-fighting efforts, China
raised interest rates
for the second time in three months on Dec. 25. It has also raised bank reserve requirements multiple times this year.
A rival survey of purchasing managers released earlier this week
also showed a slower pace of expansion in December
.
This article was written by a staff member of TheStreet.