China Manufacturing Contracts for 4th Straight Month in January

China Manufacturing Contracts for 4th Straight Month in January
A woman works at a factory of printed circuit board in Hangzhou in eastern China's Zhejiang province on Jan. 7, 2024. Chinatopix via AP
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SINGAPORE—A survey of factory managers in China released Wednesday shows manufacturing contracted in January for a fourth straight month, reflecting weak demand and a faltering recovery in the world’s second-largest economy.

The official purchasing managers index, or PMI, rose slightly to 49.2 in January from 49.0 the month before. The PMI is on a scale up to 100 where 50 marks the cutoff between expansion and contraction.