China's non-manufacturing PMI at 49 in August

BEIJING -- The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's non-manufacturing sector came in at 49 in August, unchanged from the level in July, official data showed on Monday.

The sub-index for business activity in the service sector stood at 49.3 in August, also flat from the previous month, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

As an indicator of macroeconomic trends, a PMI reading above 50 indicates expansion while a reading below 50 signals contraction.

By sector, the business activity indices for postal services, telecommunications, broadcasting, television and satellite transmission services, as well as internet, software and information technology services all remained above 55, indicating robust growth in business volume.

The business expectation index for the service sector stood at 55.5 in August, indicating a strong outlook for positive market developments.

The sub-index for business activity in the construction sector dropped 0.1 percentage points to 46.9 this month, the data revealed. NBS chief statistician Huo Lihui said construction activity slowed in some regions due to extreme weather, including heavy rains and typhoons.

The business expectation index for the construction sector remained flat at 51.8.
Monday's data also showed that the PMI for China's manufacturing sector stood at 49.8 in August, up 0.6 percentage points from July. The composite PMI output index rose from 49.3 to 49.5.