Indian manufacturing gains further momentum in June; PMI at four month high

02 Jul 2012 Evaluate

Even as the Euro-zone financial trouble continues to linger and most nations struggle to maintain their growth momentum, industrial activity in India resiliently expanded at a brisk pace in the month of June with business conditions in manufacturing sector improving at fastest rate in four months. The manufacturing sector continued to gain momentum, helped mainly by product quality improvement and stronger demand. But at a time when domestic demand was holding up, overseas demand showed signs of weakening.

According to the HSBC purchasing managers’ index (PMI), the manufacturing sector expanded to 55 in June, 2012 as against 54.8 in the previous month of 2012. A figure above 50 signals increase in production while, a number below 50 indicates contraction. The survey underscored that India’s industrial activity intensified in June and factories hired at the fastest rate in more than two years. The employment sub-index climbed to the highest levels since May 2010 at 52.4 in June.

As a result of higher levels of new orders due to product quality improvement and stronger demand, output increased further in June, extending the current expansionary period to three years and three months. However, the gloomy global scenario adversely impacted new export orders, which rose at their slowest pace since November 2011, owing to sagging demand from top trading partners like Europe and the United States.

Moreover, inflation remained a cause of concern as input price inflation in the sector climbed sharply in June by the highest rate since August 2011, furthering the inflationary period to 39 successive months. Besides, the output prices too rose since manufacturers decided to pass on the further rise in cost of inputs on to customers. The HSBC survey further indicated that looking at the current scenario of high inflationary pressure, there was no room for the Reserve Bank of India to employ further monetary easing measures. Indian central bank had left key interest rates unchanged in its recent monetary policy review meet on June 18 after slashing the repo and reverse rates by 50 basis points each in its previous policy review meet.

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