Manufacturing activity down for 2nd straight month

As per the Nikkei survey, India’s manufacturing sector activity eased for the second consecutive month in August, mainly on account of slower gains in output and decline in fresh orders

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Why in the news ?

  • As per the Nikkei survey, India’s manufacturing sector activity eased for the second consecutive month in August, mainly on account of slower gains in output and decline in fresh orders

Details

  • The decline in the manufacturing sector came after the government last week reported that the economy grew at a two-year high of 8.2 per cent in the April-June quarter of current fiscal on good show by manufacturing and farm sectors.
  • The Nikkei India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’(PMI) Index fell to 51.7 in August from 52.3 in July, as operating conditions improved at the slowest pace since May.
  • This is the 13th consecutive month that the manufacturing PMI remained above the 50-point mark.
  • The PMI data suggested domestic demand conditions improved at a slower pace than the preceding month, while new export orders rose at the fastest pace since February.
  • On the price front, Indian manufacturing companies continued to face higher input costs during August.
  • Moreover, there were reports that currency weakness contributed to higher raw material costs.

PMI

  • PMI or a Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) is an indicator of business activity — both in the manufacturing and services sectors. 
  • It is a survey-based measures that asks the respondents about changes in their perception of some key business variables from the month before.
  • It is calculated separately for the manufacturing and services sectors and then a composite index is constructed. 
  • A figure above 50 denotes expansion in business activity. Anything below 50 denotes contraction. Higher the difference from this mid-point greater the expansion or contraction. 
 

Source

Indian Express.