MNI BRIEF: China Apr Manufacturing PMI Falls Into Contraction

China's Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index fell by 1.5 points to 49.0 in April, falling below the breakeven 50 mark after staying in the expansionary zone for two months, driven by the high-base effect and the dramatically changing external environment, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed Wednesday.

The production and new orders sub-indices declined by 2.8 and 2.6 points to 49.8 and 49.2, both falling into the contraction territory.

The non-manufacturing PMI registered 50.4, down 0.4 points from the previous month. The business activity sub-index for the service sector edged down by 0.2 points to 50.1. The expectation sub-index was down 1.1 points though remaining in a relatively high prosperity range of 56.4, with most service businesses having strong confidence in market development.