Beijing June 30 2023: China’s factory activity in June contracted for a third month, while non-manufacturing activity was at its weakest since Beijing abandoned its strict “zero Covid” policy late last year.
The latest data points to a patchy recovery in the world’s second-largest economy as the growth momentum fizzles.
The official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) came in at 49.0 in June — compared to 48.8 in May and 49.2 in April — according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics released on Friday. June’s reading was in line with the median forecast in a Reuters poll.
Friday’s figures also showed China posting its weakest official non-manufacturing PMI reading this year, coming in at 53.2 in June — compared to 54.5 in May and 56.4 in April. A PMI reading above 50 points to an expansion in activity, while a reading below that level suggests a contraction.
“Economic momentum is still quite weak in China. Recent data shows the global economy is slowing, which will likely put further pressure on external demand in the coming months,” said Zhang Zhiwei, Pinpoint Asset Management’s president and chief economist.
“On the other hand, the government’s growth target of 5% this year is quite modest given the low base last year. It is not clear if the weak economic data would push the government to launch aggressive stimulus measures soon,” he added.
The Hang Seng Index and the CSI 300 index reversed losses to rise marginally in early Friday trade after the PMI data was released. The Chinese yuan hit its weakest against the U.S. dollar since mid-November despite the central bank’s stronger-than-expected midpoint fix — the fourth this week as the PBOC seeks to stem weakness in the currency.
