MNI 5 THINGS: China January Mfg PMI Edges Up to 49.5

     BEIJING (MNI) - China's National Bureau of Statistics released

manufacturing and non-manufacturing PMI data Thursday. MNI highlights five

things:

     --Manufacturing PMI rebounded modestly to 49.5 in Jan after four

consecutive months of decline, beating the forecast of 49.2 seen in an MNI

survey and recovering from the 49.4 in Dec. The index remains in contraction

territory below the 50 breakeven mark.

     --Manufacturing production expanded at a slightly faster pace, as the

production index ticked up to 50.9 in Jan from 50.8 in Dec, the NBS said. New

export orders, which reflects external demand, edged up to 46.9 from 46.6 in

Dec. The new orders index decelerated 0.1 percentage point to 49.6. 

     --Raw materials purchase prices and ex-factory prices are weakening at a

slower pace. Both indexes rose by 1.5 and 1.2 percentage points respectively

from Dec, after falling for three consecutive months, recording 46.3 and 44.5 in

Jan -- but both still in contraction range, the NBS said.

     --Non-manufacturing PMI jumped to 54.7 from 53.8 in Dec, well within

expansionary territory, indicating that the overall expansion of the sector has

been accelerating.

     --Service business activity index stood at 53.6, accelerating 1.3

percentage point from Dec. Business activities in wholesale, railway and air

transportation, postal, telecommunications, banking, insurance and tourism were

still growing strong. Those in securities, real estate sectors were in

contraction, the NBS said.

--MNI Beijing Bureau; +86 (10) 8532-5998; email: wanxia.lin@marketnews.com

--MNI London Bureau; tel: +44 203-586-2225; email: les.commons@marketnews.com

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