Off the wire
• Chinese shares open mixed Thursday  • Chinese yuan weakens to 6.7296 against USD Thursday  • Market exchange rates in China -- Oct. 13  • 10 more armed men killed in fighting with Myanmar gov't troops in western state  • Aussie entrepreneurs to access expertise from China's start-ups through new program  • Australia's airline Qantas to return to Beijing with new route  • Aust'n pill offers first hope of relief to gluten-intolerance sufferers  • S. Korea freezes interest rates at 1.25 pct for 4 months  • Xinhua world news summary at 0030 GMT, Oct. 13  • Aussie police confirm teens planning ISIS-inspired attacks  
You are here: 　 Home

Growth in New Zealand manufacturing accelerates

Xinhua, October 13, 2016 Adjust font size:

New Zealand's manufacturing sector grew at its fastest rate since January last month, according to the latest performance of manufacturing index (PMI) out Thursday.

The BNZ-Business New Zealand PMI for September was 57.7 on a scale where above 50 indicates expansion and below 50 contraction.

The reading was 2.5 points up from August, and continued a run of solid expansion in almost all months since October 2012.

Business New Zealand executive director for manufacturing Catherine Beard said the lift in expansion was welcome after two consecutive months of slowing growth.

"The two key sub-indices of production (61.3) and new orders (60.9) returned to post-60 point values, while employment (50.3) moved back into slight expansion mode after showing contraction in August," Beard said in a statement.

BNZ senior economist Craig Ebert said the survey showed large firms were lacking the impetus shown by relatively smaller firms.

"While the PMI kicked back up, the details of the survey again highlighted some fraying at the edges," Ebert said in the statement. Endit