Chinese Factories Show Surprising Slump in January

Those who are part of China’s factory sector could be a bit nervous at this point. The factory sector had an unexpected shrinking for the first time in almost 2.5 years in January. The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to 49.8 in January, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. This is a low last seen in September of 2012. Typically, Chinese factories have had a spike in business before China’s annual Spring Festival holiday which falls mid-February this year.

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