FX.co ★ Japan Manufacturing Downturn Deepens In December

Japan's manufacturing activity shrank the most in ten months in December, final survey results from S&P Global showed on Thursday.

The headline au Jibun Bank Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index fell to 47.9 in December from 48.3 in November.

The flash score was 47.7. The score signaled the sharpest contraction in manufacturing since February 2023.

Amid uncertainties in domestic and overseas product markets, output and new orders declined at faster rates. Staffing levels rose slightly since November. On price front, the survey showed that input price inflation rose to a three-month high, while output price inflation slowed in December.

Confidence in the future remained positive in December. Sentiment improved to a five-month high.