23.08.202100:45:00UTC+00Japan Manufacturing PMI Ebbs In August - Jibun

The manufacturing sector in Japan continued to expand in August, albeit at a slower rate, the latest survey from Jibun Bank showed on Monday with a manufacturing PMI score of 52.4.

That's down from 53.0 in July, although it remains above the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction.

New order inflows saw a sustained increase, although the pace of growth was the slowest since January, while severe supply chain disruption hampered the receipt of inputs for production.

Nonetheless, manufacturers were confident that demand would continue to increase, with expectations regarding future output remaining strong, which encouraged firms to increase staffing levels at the quickest pace since January 2020. That said, the overall degree of optimism was the softest for 13 months.

The survey also showed that the services PMI fell from 46.4 in July to 43.5 in August, while the composite slipped from 48.8 in July to 45.9 this month.