2020.03.0205:31:00UTC+00Thai Manufacturing Conditions Deteriorate In February

Operating conditions in Thailand's manufacturing sector deteriorated in February, survey results from IHS Markit showed Monday.

The manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index fell to 49.5 in February from 49.9 in January. A score below 50 indicates contraction.

Lower sales contributed to a decline in backlogs of work which, in turn, dampened hiring. Employment decreased for the seventeenth consecutive month.

Meanwhile, inventories of both input and finished goods shrank further. On the price front, the survey data showed subdued price pressures in February.

Business confidence remained subdued with concerns of weakening economic conditions, declining profits and the impact of the coronavirus outbreak weighing on growth.