NON-MANUFACTURING MEASURE: The NMI last month shed 4.4 points from July, but stayed above 50, as companies expressed a dim view of the next six months

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 04, 2018
By: Crystal Hsu  /  Staff reporter

Taiwan’s official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) was 56 last month, down from 56.1 in July, suggesting continued improvement in operating conditions, although the pace has probably plateaued, the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER, 中華經濟研究院) said yesterday.

While it has been in expansion territory for the past 29 months, the critical economic bellwether eased to its lowest level in 19 months as tariff rows raised uncertainty over the global economy, the Taipei-based think tank said.

“The global scene grows increasingly opaque, but might continue to expand for the rest of the year,” CIER president Wu Chung-shu (吳中書) told a media briefing.

PMI data aim to gauge the health of the local manufacturing industry, Taiwan’s main growth driver, with values larger than 50 indicating expansion and values below the threshold signaling contraction.    [FULL  STORY]