Dhaka, Aug. 7 -- The JULY reading of the Bangladesh Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) increased 8.4 points from the previous month to record a faster expansion rate at 61.5.

This latest PMI reading was attributed to a faster expansion rate for the indexes of manufacturing and services sectors, a slower expansion rate for the agriculture sector, and a reversion of the construction sector to an expansion reading, BSS reports citing a press release.

The agriculture sector posted its 10th month of expansion, but at a slower rate. The sector posted slower expansion rates for the indexes of new business, business activity, and input costs, but the order backlogs index posted a faster expansion rate.

The employment index posted a contraction r...