Chinese December 20 Caixin Manufacturing PMI 53.0 vs exp 54.7; prev 54.9

Chinese December 20 Caixin Manufacturing PMI arrived at 53.0 vs exp 54.7 and prev 54.9.

Full report

The health of China's manufacturing sector continued to improve in December, albeit at the softest rate for three months. Firms signalled slower, but still steep, expansions of output and total new work, while export sales rose modestly.

At the same time, companies took a more cautious approach to employment levels amid an accelerated rise in overall input costs, as workforce numbers were broadly unchanged. Looking ahead, firms were still optimistic that output would increase over the next year, though overall confidence dipped to a three-month low.

More to come...