Growth in activity at China’s manufacturers was unchanged in May, with an official gauge remaining at the lowest level since September but defying expectations it would slip further, the Financial Times reports. The manufacturing purchasing managers’ index published by the National Bureau of Statistics came in at 51.2 in May, unchanged from April’s level and still above the 50-point mark separating growth from contraction. The official gauge tracks larger and primarily state-owned enterprises. A sub-index of production fell 0.4 points to 53.4, with output growth slowest at small enterprises at 52.3. Large enterprises clocked in a reading of 53.3, while production at mid-sized businesses came in at 54.3. But bigger businesses saw orders tick up more, with a sub-index reading of 52.7 coming in above mid-sized and small companies, which came in at 52.2 and 50.9, respectively. The official non-manufacturing PMI came in at 54.5 in May, jumping half a point from its April level.
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