MNI BRIEF: China Oct Manufacturing PMI Hit Six-Month Low

China's Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index fell by 0.8 points to 49.0 in October from September, hitting a six-month low and staying below the breakeven 50 mark for the seventh month, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed Friday.

Both the production and new orders sub-indices were down by 2.2 and 0.9 percentage points to 49.7 and 48.8, respectively, due to the early release of some demand before the Oct 1-8 National Day holiday and the increasingly complex international environment, according to the NBS.

The non-manufacturing PMI registered 50.1, up 0.1 points from the previous month. The business activity sub-index for the service sector rose by 0.1 points to 50.2, with railway and air transportation, accommodation and entertainment rising above 60.0, a high level of prosperity, driven by the holiday effect.