UAE non-oil private business growth down in February

The HSBC purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) dropped to 58.1 points in February, down from 59.3 in January, the British lender said here on Tuesday.

The survey-based HSBC report on the UAE's PMI said the slowdown was driven by milder expansions in output, new orders and new export business. A PMI above 50 points to an expanding economy and vice versa.

The HSBC UAE PMI gives a snapshot indication of the Gulf Arab state's business activity in the non-oil private sector. The purchasing activity also rose at a slower pace during the month, contrasting with a faster rate of job creation.

Meanwhile, employment increased for the 38th successive month in February, supported by ongoing growth of output and new business.

The rate of purchase price inflation, on the other hand, eased to a four-and-a-half year low, mainly driven by lower fuel prices, said HSBC.

However, Nasser Saidi, a renowned independent Dubai-based economist, said earlier in the week that oil was on the recovery track.

"Oil prices consolidating their gains as the 12 percent monthly gain in February was one of the largest in several years," said Saidi.

Philip Leake, economist at Markit Financial Services company which compiled the report for HSBC, said despite the drop of business action last month, "the outlook for the UAE remains bright, with employment rising at a faster pace and cost pressures easing as a result of lower fuel prices."

Earlier in the year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its growth forecast for the whole UAE economy to 3.5 percent for 2015, down by one percent from its October 2014 projection.

The IMF said the recent slump in oil prices from over 100 dollars (Brent crude) in mid 2014 to 43 dollars per barrel at the end of January 2015 would weigh on the UAE's economic growth. Endit