China’s Manufacturing PMI Falls to 49.3% in October as Demand Eases
Key Facts
China’s official manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index fell to 49.3% in October 2026, down 0.8 percentage points from September, according to the National Bureau of Statistics of China. The index came in below the 50 mark separating activity growth from contraction, after recording 50.1 in September. It had reached 49.8 in August, according to the Associated Press. The bureau said the index fell from the previous month, signaling a contraction in manufacturing activity. The reading comes amid weak domestic demand and a decline in export orders, the agency said.
The production index fell to 49.8% in October, down 1.9 percentage points from the previous month, according to bureau data. The new orders index also dropped to 49.4%, down 1.1 percentage points from September. Both readings put production and new orders below the 50 mark. The decline in new orders means factories faced weaker demand for their products during the month. The Associated Press linked the subdued activity to soft domestic demand and lower new export orders.
The new export orders index stood at 48.7 in October, compared with 50.0 in September, according to the Associated Press. The drop took the index from 50 to below that level, alongside declines in the official production and new orders indexes. The agency said weak new export orders weighed on Chinese manufacturers. By contrast, the index for large companies remained at 50.2% in October, just above the 50 mark. The index for medium-sized companies was 48.4%, while the index for small companies was 47.5%, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
China’s RatingDog manufacturing PMI, formerly known as Caixin, is scheduled for release on November 2, 2026, at 01:45, according to the FX Blue calendar. The release follows National Bureau of Statistics data showing the official index fell in October. The next reading will provide an additional gauge of manufacturing conditions, following declines in the production, new orders and export orders indexes. The available calendar does not specify the time zone for the release. Investors are also watching Maersk’s third-quarter financial report, scheduled for publication on November 5 at around 08:00 Central European Time.
Maersk said its third-quarter interim report will be released on Thursday, November 5, 2026, at around 08:00 Central European Time. The company scheduled a call for investors and analysts for the same day at 11:00 Central European Time. Maersk announced in February that it had placed an order for eight vessels with China’s New Times Shipbuilding. Each vessel will have capacity for 18,600 containers, with delivery scheduled for 2029 and 2030. The company said the vessels will have dual-fuel engines that can use conventional marine fuel or liquefied gas, and that flexibility in operating them across its network was among the factors in its decision.
In its second-quarter 2026 results, Maersk’s average loaded freight rates rose 22% year on year, while loaded volumes increased 4.1%, driven by Asian exports, according to the company’s report. But operating costs rose 19% year on year, which the company attributed mainly to the situation in the Middle East and higher marine fuel costs. The average marine fuel price also rose 44% year on year during the quarter. In the market, Maersk shares fell about 3% in Copenhagen when Investing.com reported that Goldman Sachs had downgraded the stock to "sell." The report quoted the bank as expecting new vessel deliveries to rise to the equivalent of 8% to 10% of the fleet in the second half of 2027, compared with 5% to 6% in the first half, and then to more than 15% in 2028.