Chinese Factory Activity Forecast Shows 17 Month High

China’s factory activity is forecast to have expanded at its fastest rate in 17 months in September, a Reuters poll showed, reinforcing signs of a turnaround in the world’s second-largest economy as both domestic and external demand improve.

The official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) is forecast to rise to 51.5 in September from August’s 51, according to the median estimate of 14 economists. If realised, it would be the highest reading since April 2012.

A reading above 50 indicates expanding activity while one below it points to a contraction.

A preliminary private PMI survey by HSBC/Markit released this week showed the factory sector grew at its fastest pace in six months in September.

The official PMI, which is weighted more towards bigger and state-owned companies, generally paints a rosier picture than the private survey, which focuses more on smaller and private sector firms.

via Reuters

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Alfonso Esparza

Alfonso Esparza

Senior Currency Analyst at Market Pulse
Alfonso Esparza specializes in macro forex strategies for North American and major currency pairs. Upon joining OANDA in 2007, Alfonso Esparza established the MarketPulseFX blog and he has since written extensively about central banks and global economic and political trends. Alfonso has also worked as a professional currency
trader focused on North America and emerging markets. He has been published by The MarketWatch, Reuters, the Wall Street Journal and The Globe and Mail, and he also appears regularly as a guest commentator on networks including Bloomberg and BNN. He holds a finance degree from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) and an MBA with a specialization on financial engineering and marketing from the University of Toronto.
Alfonso Esparza