(MENAFN) China's manufacturing activity continued to contract in May, pointing to persistent weakness in the world's second largest economy that analysts say may prompt more stimulus measures, QNA reported.
The HSBC flash manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) for April stood at 49.1 in May, slightly up from the 48.9 reading in April but still below the 50-point mark that distinguishes expansion from contraction.
Outputs contracted at the strongest rate in over a year in May, with the sub-index at a 13-month low of 48.4, according to an HSBC report, noting that deflationary pressure remained relatively strong.
"The PMI pointed to a further deterioration in operating conditions in April, with production declining for the first time in 2015 so far," the HSBC report added further.
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