A key indicator of China's manufacturing sector performance declined slightly in December, but still managed to hold above the neutral mark indicating a moderate pace of expansion, preliminary survey data published by Markit Economics revealed Monday.
The HSBC purchasing managers' index fell to 50.5 in December from 50.8 in November. A PMI reading above 50 indicates expansion of the sector.
The manufacturing output index slid to 51.8 in December from 52.2 in November. However, new order growth accelerated from previous month with new export orders rising at a faster pace.
Employment, nevertheless, contracted again and at a steeper rate than in November, the survey found.
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June 19, 2026 16:46 ET Major central banks continued to dominate the economic news flow this week too, led by the Federal Reserve, as they announced their latest policy decisions. The Federal Reserve policy session was in focus as it was the first to be led by the new chief Kevin Warsh. In Europe, central banks of the U.K. and Switzerland announced their rate decisions. In Asia, the Bank of Japan drew attention for its policy moves, while data out of China threw some light on the state of the economy.