• Sun, February 2, 2025
  • Mon, February 3, 2025

Japan's factory activity extends decline, optimism weakens, PMI shows

Japan's factory activity fell at the fastest pace in 10 months on sluggish demand, a private-sector survey showed on Monday, with business confidence hitting a more than two-year low in a sign that the manufacturing sector is under heavy pressure.
Japan's manufacturing sector continued to contract in June, marking the third consecutive month of decline, as indicated by the au Jibun Bank Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) which fell to 49.8 from May's 50.4. This figure, although slightly above the preliminary estimate of 49.5, still remains below the 50 threshold that separates expansion from contraction. Key factors contributing to this downturn include a drop in new orders, particularly from overseas markets like China, Europe, and North America, and a reduction in production levels. Additionally, optimism among manufacturers has waned, with future output expectations reaching their lowest since January, influenced by concerns over global economic conditions and geopolitical tensions. Despite these challenges, there was a slight increase in employment, and input price inflation eased to its lowest in over three years, although output prices continued to rise.

Read the Full MSN Article at:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/japan-s-factory-activity-extends-decline-optimism-weakens-pmi-shows/ar-AA1yij9z

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