China’s manufacturing sector: the 14th consecutive month of contraction

The activities of the Chinese manufacturing sector contracted for the fourteenth consecutive month in April, thanks to stagnant demand, thus forcing firms to cut jobs at a more intense pace.

This is what emerges from the economic edited by Markit / Caixin, which tracks the performance of medium-sized companies, according to the SME development index (Purchasing managers'index).

The latter, considered a barometer of the sector, fell to 49.4 from 49.7 in March, below expectations, who advocate a rise to 49.9. The index is below the threshold 50, and therefore in contraction territory, from March 2015. The survey conducted by the central institution of Statistics, relative to larger sized companies, in the same month reported a marginal growth activity.