Manufacturing sector is ‘in trouble’, lobby group warns as PMI remains below 50

The Barclays Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) for December, which showed that South Africa’s manufacturing sector’s growth was “stuck”, compared with the global upswing in manufacturing activity, has sparked warnings from the Manufacturing Circle. December’s seasonally adjusted PMI remained below the neutral 50-point level for a fifth consecutive month, declining to 46.7 index points from 48.3 in November on the back of persistently weak domestic demand.