Thailand: Manufacturing PMI falls in August
The S&P Global Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) dropped to 48.9 in August from 50.7 in the prior month, marking the first contraction since December 2021. Consequently, the PMI moved below the 50-threshold that separates improving from deteriorating conditions in the manufacturing sector compared to the previous month.
A sharper decline in new orders and slower production growth were behind August’s negative reading. Moreover, employment fell and inventories were lowered. On the flipside, optimism for the coming 12 months rose to the highest level since June amid hopes of improving economic and demand conditions ahead. On the price front, input costs fell for the second consecutive month, while output price inflation remained elevated due to past hikes in shipping prices and rising wages.