Mumbai, April 30 -- China's manufacturing sector expansion slowed at the start of the second quarter of the year. A renewed fall in new export orders, which was often attributed to the impact of tariffs, led to a slower and only marginal rise in total new work.
As a result, production growth likewise eased on the month. Firms also lowered their inventory levels as business optimism fell. Concurrently, reduced capacity pressures led to the resumption of job shedding in April. Input prices meanwhile fell at a slower rate amid tariff-related disruptions.
Chinese manufacturers opted to continue sharing these cost savings with clients by lowering their selling prices.
The headline seasonally adjusted Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) - a compo...