South Korea Manufacturing Sector Expands In January - S&P Global

(RTTNews) - The manufacturing sector in South Korea bounced back up into expansion territory in January, the latest survey from S&P Global revealed on Monday with a PMI score of 50.3.

That's up from 49.0 in December and it moves above the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction.

There were expansions reported in the two main components of the headline PMI - output and new orders. Both measures saw fractional rises in January, with the former increasing for the first time since last August.

Panel members often mention that rising new orders had been behind the latest expansion in production levels, with demand improving in international markets at a time when domestic demand remained subdued. In fact, new export orders rose at a stronger rate in January and extended the current sequence of growth to three months.