According to the latest 'flash' Nikkei Japan Manufacturing PMI, business growth halted in January, ending the longest streak of expansion in the sector since the global financial crisis. Survey data indicated that goods producers in Asia's second-largest economy cut output for the first time in two-and-a-half years, while new orders also fell.
Weaker demand conditions were particularly apparent on the international front, where exports decreased at the sharpest rate since July 2016. The flash survey indicates that headwinds arising from slowing global growth are set to persist for Asian manufacturers as we head into 2019.