Update: China's non-manufacturing PMI at 49.5 in February

Xinhua
04 Mar 2026, 11:16 GMT+10

BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's non-manufacturing sector came in at 49.5 in February, up 0.1 percentage points from the previous month, official data showed Wednesday.

This reflected improved business sentiment in the non-manufacturing sector, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 reflects contraction.

The sub-index for business activity in the service sector stood at 49.7 in February, edging up 0.2 percentage points from January, signaling a modest recovery in sector vitality.

Boosted by the Spring Festival holiday, industries including accommodation, catering, culture, sports and entertainment all recorded readings above 60, indicating strong growth in business activity. In contrast, sectors such as capital market services and real estate remained sluggish with low index readings.

The business expectation index for the service sector remained relatively high at 55.8, indicating service sector enterprises maintained an optimistic outlook for near-term market developments.

Construction activity continued to weaken last month, with the business activity index dropping 0.6 percentage points to 48.2, as some construction projects were suspended while workers returned home for the Spring Festival holiday.

The business expectation index for construction stood at 50.9, bouncing back into expansion territory and signaling a pickup in industry confidence.

Separately, the NBS reported that China's manufacturing PMI stood at 49 in February, down 0.3 percentage points from the previous month.

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Professional Autos.

More Information

Business

Section

Young Europeans turn to shared rooms, joint buys

LONDON/MADRID: From buying a single bedroom in a shared flat to pooling mortgages with friends, young Europeans are turning to unconventional...

Dow Jones tumbles 404 points as markets continue slide

NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stock markets ended Tuesday's session deep in negative territory, with all major indices posting substantial...

Amazon, Nvidia back OpenAI in $110 billion round

SAN FRANCISCO, California: OpenAI announced it is raising US$110 billion in new funding, valuing the ChatGPT maker at $840 billion...

Delivery firms face rulings, riders see little change

MILAN, Italy: A string of court rulings against food delivery platforms in Italy has yet to significantly improve conditions for riders,...

Block shares surge after 4,000 layoffs

BANGKOK, Thailand: Financial technology firm Block is cutting more than 4,000 jobs, roughly 40 percent of its workforce, as it restructures...

U.S. stock markets shrug off outbreak of hostilities in Iran

NEW YORK, New York - Wall Street delivered a mixed performance on Monday as escalating military conflict in the Middle East, following...

Engineering

Section