New Zealand BusinessNZ Performance of Manufacturing Index rose from 60.9 to 62.6 in July. That’s the second highest reading after March’s 63.6. Looking at some details, production rose from 64.4 to 66.0.. Employment rose from 56.7 to 58.3, a new record. New orders rose from 63.6 to 65.0. Finished stocks dropped from 57.4 to 56.9. Deliveries rose from 55.2 to 57.9.
However, the position of negative comments (51.4%) still remained higher than positive ones (48.6%). Increased domestic and overseas orders was the common factor for positive comments. In contrast, tight labor market, supply chain issues and raw material costs were the negatives.
BNZ Senior Economist, Craig Ebert stated that “while New Zealand’s PMI is doing exceptionally well, we are also conscious of the headwinds happening for global manufacturing.  This is on account of the resurgence of COVID19 in its delta strain.”
