Austria: Manufacturing PMI unchanged in February
The UniCredit Bank Austria and S&P Global Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) remained unchanged at 43.0 in February from the previous month. As a result, the index remained entrenched below the 50.0 no-change threshold and signaled muted manufacturing sector operating conditions.
In February, manufacturing output decreased at the slowest rate in 10 months, and new orders—in particular, external orders—fell at a softer clip. That said, an improvement in delivery times and the steepest job-shedding rate since May 2020 offset the more positive readings of the other sub-components.
On the price front, declines in input costs and output charges eased during the month. In particular, while there were reports of higher transport prices due to Red Sea shipping disruptions, lower demand for inputs kept purchasing costs down. Lastly, manufacturers’ sentiment improved to a two-year high as expectations of future output turned positive for the first time in over a year, reflecting hopes of improving economic conditions in the year ahead.