China’s manufacturing, services sectors weaken in January

BEIJING (AP) — An official indicator of China’s manufacturing activity has weakened for a second consecutive month in January, following outbreaks of domestic COVID-19 cases that affected the operations of some industries. The purchasing managers’ index for China’s manufacturing sector fell to 51.3 in January, down 0.6 percentage points from December, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics. Readings above 50 indicate expansion of the manufacturing industry, while a reading below it reflects a contraction. The indicators for China’s service industry also dipped in January amid the local coronavirus outbreaks. The PMI for China’s non-manufacturing sector came in at 52.4 in January, down from 55.7 in December.