South Korea factory activity logs ninth straight month of expansion, PMI shows
South Korea's manufacturing sector reported its ninth consecutive month of expansion in August, according to a purchasing managers index (PMI) survey released on Tuesday. The PMI stood at 52.3 for August, slightly lower than the 53.1 recorded in July, but remained above the 50 threshold that signals expansion. Manufacturers continued to receive healthy new orders, as indicated by a sub-index of 53.5 in August, compared to 54.8 in July.
Despite the overall easing in new order growth, the strong surge in export demand, the highest since November 2020, suggests that South Korean manufacturers are still reaping the benefits of the ongoing AI and semiconductor supercycle, commented David Owen, an economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence. In the second quarter, South Korea, Asia's fourth-largest economy, outpaced expectations, benefiting from a semiconductor export boom that compensated for a drop in construction investment.
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