Manufacturing conditions across mainland China stabilised in March, according to the latest Caixin PMI data. The survey showed a slight increase in production after a record decline in February due to factory shutdowns and travel restrictions. However, a sustained fall in new business inflows suggests that further growth in output could be limited in the coming months, and largely confined to processing backlogs, as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic hits worldwide demand.
Production restarts
The headline Caixin China General Manufacturing PMI rose to 50.1 in March, up sharply from 40.3 in February, representing