TOKYO, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Manufacturing activity in Japan contracted for the ninth straight month in November, the Japan Purchasing Managers Index showed on Friday, in yet another sign that the economy is taking a blow from the global downturn.
The Nomura/JMMA Japan Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), which gives an early snapshot of the health of manufacturing, fell to seasonally adjusted 36.7 in November from 42.2 in October.
The index was the lowest since the survey began in 2001 as output, a major component of it, also slipped at the steepest rate ever in the survey.
A reading below 50 points to a contraction, while a figure above that suggests an expansion.
Results were as follows: (Seasonally adjusted) Nov Oct Sept Aug July --------------------------------------------------------------- PMI 36.7 42.2 44.3 46.9 47.0 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Output# 30.9 39.7 40.9 43.7 44.2 New orders 27.3 34.5 39.6 44.1 43.2 New export orders 31.1 37.5 45.4 48.0 47.3 Backlog 33.0 37.5 39.1 43.3 43.3 Finished goods stocks 53.0 52.1 52.0 50.1 48.4 Employment# 42.3 46.7 46.9 49.8 50.4 Output prices 51.6 55.0 58.1 55.8 59.6 Input prices 51.5 63.7 68.3 78.4 78.5 Supplier delivery time# 51.7 49.8 48.9 49.4 48.0 Purchase quantity 32.8 41.2 42.9 44.9 46.8 Stocks of purchases# 50.9 50.7 51.1 51.9 51.7 ---------------------------------------------------------------
# denotes five components of purchasing managers' index.
Data for the survey has been collected since October 2001, based on responses from more than 400 manufacturers. (Reporting by Yuzo Saeki)