New Zealand: Factory Activity Remains in Expansion.

The BusinessNZ Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) in New Zealand rose to 51.4 in November, up 0.2 points from October’s 51.2. Among the five main sub-indices, four showed expansion, with New Orders (51.9 vs. 54.5 in October), Production (52.8 vs. 52.0), Employment (52.4 vs. 48.3) and Finished Stocks (50.5 vs. 51.3) in expansion. Deliveries of Raw Materials (49.0 vs. 50.3) fell into contraction. Although negative sentiment among respondents eased to 45.6% in November from 54.1% in October, manufacturers reported a lift in demand driven by seasonal Christmas activity, improving economic conditions and rising customer confidence. The data indicate that while the PMI has settled above the breakeven 50 mark, momentum remains modest and recovery is uneven.