Colombia: Manufacturing PMI drops in February
Business conditions in Colombia’s manufacturing sector continued to improve in February, although at a softer pace than in January. The seasonally-adjusted Davivienda manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index dropped to 52.5 in February from 53.4 in January. Thus, it marked the eighth consecutive month that the index remained above the critical 50-threshold which indicates an improvement in the health of the sector.
February’s print largely reflected a softer increase in new orders and a substantial stagnation in employment. That said, new orders growth remained relatively solid and production increased at the quickest pace in one-and-a-half years. Meanwhile, backlogs of work continued to pile up, while business confidence remained upbeat, supported by export opportunities as well as projects pending approval. On the price front, input cost inflation softened but remained marked overall in February, which led output charge inflation to also moderate.