China Services Drop to Six Month Low

Growth in China’s services sector slipped to a six-month low in July as new orders rose at their weakest rate in at least a year, data showed, taking some of the shine off an industry that has been a bright spot in the Chinese economy this year.

The official Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for the non-manufacturing sector slowed to 54.2 in July from June’s 55, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Sunday. That is the weakest reading since January.

A reading above 50 in PMI surveys indicates an expansion in activity while one below the threshold points to a contraction.  The slight retreat in the services sector came at a time when China’s factories have started to recover, having earlier this year been one of the drags on growth in the world’s second largest economy due to faltering demand at home and abroad.

CNBC

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