Brazil: Manufacturing PMI hits five-month high in August
Conditions in Brazil’s manufacturing sector appear to have improved in August. The manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) came in at a five-month high of 52.5, up from July’s over one-year low of 49.9. As a result, the PMI now lies above the crucial 50-threshold, signaling expansionary conditions in the manufacturing sector.
August’s upturn reflected growing output and the sharpest rise in new orders seen in over a year. In addition, firms’ ended jobs in August after the previous three months of job losses. Economic sentiment also perked up, rising to a four-month high. Meanwhile, input price inflation eased.