Flash Japan Manufacturing PMI™ at 49.1 (50.1 in February). Flash headline PMI signals deterioration in operating conditions for first time since April 2015.- Flash Japan Manufacturing Output Index at 49.8 (50.6 in February). Production falls slightly at the end of Q1 2016.
Operating conditions at Japanese manufacturers deteriorated in March. Production and new orders both contracted, with output decreasing for the first time in nearly a year. This suggests industrial production will continue to fall. One of the key drivers behind the decline in total new work was a slump in international demand, as new export orders decreased at the sharpest rate in over three years. As a result, goods producers cut back on input buying and were less confident in hiring additional workers.
