Edge and Odds

The enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it’s the illusion of knowledge (Stephen Hawking)

It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so (Mark Twain)

Edge and Odds

Invest with smart knowledge and objective odds

CHINA FLASH MANUFACTURING PMI DROPS TO 49.2

  • Flash China Manufacturing PMI™ at 49.2 in April (49.6 in March). 12-month low.
  • Flash China Manufacturing Output Index at 50.4 in April (51.3 in March). Three-month low.

imageOperating conditions in China’s manufacturing sector deteriorated slightly for the second month running in April, with the flash reading of the PMI falling to a one year
low.

Production increased only marginally, while total new business declined for the second successive month. Relatively weak demand conditions were also highlighted by stronger deflationary pressures in the sector, with both input and output prices falling at faster rates. Meanwhile, job shedding across manufacturing firms was recorded for the eighteenth month in a row.

On a brighter note, demand from overseas improved in April, with new export work rising for the first time in three months.

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JAPAN FLASH MANUFACTURING PMI DROPS TO 49.7

  • Flash Japan Manufacturing PMI™ at 49.7 (50.3 in March). Operating conditions deteriorate in April, albeit at a marginal rate.
  • Flash Japan Manufacturing Output Index at 49.7 (52.0 in March). Production declines slightly for the first time since July 2014.

imageLatest data signalled worsening operating conditions in the Japanese manufacturing sector. New orders continued to fall, while manufacturing production decreased for the first time since July 2014. The rate of decline was only fractional, however. In contrast, employment returned to growth in April, albeit at a marginal pace.

Meanwhile, reports of a favourable yen/dollar rate continued to help improve price competitiveness, as companies noted a rise in new export orders for the tenth
consecutive month.

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