A city on a lake in Austria

Austria PMI January 2019

Austria: Weakening foreign demand spearheads loss of steam in Austria’s manufacturing sector in January

Business conditions in the Austrian manufacturing sector improved at the softest pace in nearly two-and-a-half years in January, with the Bank Austria Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), released by IHS Markit, easing to 52.7 from 53.9 in December. However, the print remained above the neutral 50-point mark separating expansion from contraction in the manufacturing sector and above the long-term average of 52.3. Moreover, January’s result marked the 46th consecutive month in which operating conditions improved.

Having said that, the drop in the headline reading came on the tails of weakening foreign demand as exports declined at the strongest pace since October 2012. As a result, total new orders fell for the first time in over three years in the month. Output growth slightly picked up pace in January despite softer inflows of new orders. There was more positive news as firms continued to take on new staff, in part due to efforts to clear outstanding orders. Firms also picked up purchasing activity as a result of increased production. In terms of prices, cheaper oil and steel drove a reduction in input cost inflation while output price inflation eased to a three-month low.

Free sample report

Access essential information in the shortest time possible. FocusEconomics provide hundreds of consensus forecast reports from the most reputable economic research authorities in the world.
Close Left Media Arrows Left Media Circles Right Media Arrows Right Media Circles Arrow Quote Wave Address Email Telephone Man in front of screen with line chart Document with bar chart and magnifying glass Application window with bar chart Target with arrow Line Chart Stopwatch Globe with arrows Document with bar chart in front of screen Bar chart with magnifying glass and dollar sign Lightbulb Document with bookmark Laptop with download icon Calendar Icon Nav Menu Arrow Arrow Right Long Icon Arrow Right Icon Chevron Right Icon Chevron Left Icon Briefcase Icon Linkedin In Icon Full Linkedin Icon Filter Facebook Linkedin Twitter Pinterest