Chinese Factory Activity Slips as War Lifts Exporters’ Costs (1)

China’s factory activity slowed in March for export-oriented firms as their costs surged, according to a private survey, contrasting with an official gauge that showed manufacturing improving despite the Iran war.

The RatingDog China manufacturing purchasing managers index fell to 50.8 last month from a multi-year peak of 52.1 in February, according to a statement released on Wednesday, remaining above the threshold that indicates growth. That compares with the median forecast of 51.5 in a Bloomberg survey of economists.

“Cost pressures intensified significantly,” Yao Yu, founder of RatingDog, said in the statement. “Supply chains faced notable disruptions.”

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