Hanoi (VNA) – The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) ofVietnam rose to a four-month high of 52.5 in April from 51.9 in March,signalling a solid monthly improvement in the health of the manufacturingsector, according to a Nikkei-IHS Markit survey.
In a news release on May 2, Nikkei said growthwas maintained in the Vietnamese manufacturing sector during April as firmswere again successful in securing new orders, which increased at a rate broadlyin line with that in March. Manufacturing production rose for the seventeenthsuccessive month.
Meanwhile, purchasing activity continued to risesolidly, with the latest increase helping to support the first accumulation inpre-production inventories since January. Stocks of finished goods alsoexpanded.
New orders are predicted to increase furtherover the coming year, helping to boost sentiment around production volumes.Business expansion plans are also set to support output growth.
Although the rate of input cost inflationaccelerated to the sharpest since last November, manufacturers in Vietnamcontinued to lower their output prices. Charges were reduced for the fifthconsecutive month, linked to efforts to secure greater new order volumes.
Andrew Harker, Associate Director at IHS Markit,which compiles the survey, said: “The main positive from the latest Vietnammanufacturing PMI survey was a return to employment growth, the first rise inthree months, as firms gained confidence that the soft patch at the start ofthe year is now a thing of the past. There was still a reluctance to raiseselling prices, however, in spite of a pick-up in the rate of cost inflation,but this will likely change should solid inflows of new work continue in comingmonths.”-VNA