Factory slowdown signals further weakness

China's manufacturing sector slowed more than estimated in August, suggesting the economy is losing momentum.

The official Purchasing Managers Index, jointly released by the National Bureau of Statistics and the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing, was 51.1 for August, missing the median 51.2 estimate in a Bloomberg survey.

The final reading of a separate manufacturing gauge from HSBC Holdings Plc and Markit Ltd was 50.2.