By Jeff Perlah - HSBC's flash Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) dropped to an eight-month low of 48.1 in March, compared with a final reading of 48.5 in February. The reading remains below the 50-mark that divides contraction from expansion in the sector.
Economists polled by Bloomberg were expecting a reading of 48.7, up from 48.5 in February. Markets are sensitive to the release as worry increases regarding the financial health of the world's second-biggest economy.
The manufacturing output sub-index dropped to an 18-month low of 47.3. Most of the sub-indices showed deterioration, but new export orders provided a silver lining, revealing growth in March.
"The HSBC Flash China Manufacturing PMI reading for March suggests that China’s growth momentum continued to slow down," said Hongbin Qu, HSBC China's chief economist. "Weakness is broadly-based with domestic demand softening further. We expect Beijing to launch a series of policy measures to stabilize growth. Likely options include lowering entry barriers for private investment, targeted spending on subways, air-cleaning and public housing, and guiding lending rates lower."
The flash index is published ahead of final PMI data and is often based on 85 percent to 90 percent of total survey responses each month.