Australia PMI Manufacturing rose from 52.0 to 57.3 in September, hitting a 3-month high. PMI Services also rose from 42.9 to 44.9, staying in contraction but hit a 3-month high. PMI Composite rose from 43.3 to 46.0.
Jingyi Pan, Economics Associate Director at IHS Markit, said: “The extension of COVID-19 restrictions into September continued to dampen business conditions in the Australian private sector, although the slight easing of restrictions was picked up in the latest IHS Markit Flash Australia Composite PMI, seeing the overall Composite Output Index contracting at a slower rate in September. This may also be suggesting that we are looking at early signs of a turning point.
“The employment index meanwhile pointed to higher workforce levels, which was a positive sign following the decline recorded in August, driven by the severe COVID-19 disruptions. That said, price pressures intensified once again for Australian private sector firms while evidence of worsening supply constraints gathered, all of which remains a focal point for the Australian economy.”
