Japan Manufacturing Sector Ebbs In September - S&P Global

(RTTNews) - The manufacturing sector in Japan continued to expand in September, albeit at a slower rate, the latest survey from S&P Global revealed on Thursday with a manufacturing PMI score of 54.1.

That's down from 54.9 in August although it remains above the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction.

Latest survey data pointed to a sustained, but slower rise in Japanese manufacturing production during September. Though solid, the upturn in output was the least pronounced in three months. While a number of firms commented that rising intakes of new work had supported higher production levels, some companies indicated that sales had been weaker than expected.

Overall new work continued to grow at a historically strong pace, although the rate of expansion eased from August's multi-year record to its slowest since May. Some surveyed firms attributed the slowdown to clients adjusting inventories as earlier stock accumulation began to unwind.