Caixin and IHS Markit report China manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index

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A woman works in a Macintosh boot factory in Lin’an, located in the east China province of Zhejiang.

A survey focused on small and mid-size businesses in China is expected to show slight expansion in the manufacturing sector in October.

IHS Markit and Caixin will release Purchasing Managers’ Index at 9.45 a.m. SIN/HK on Wednesday.

Economists polled by Reuters expect the private PMI reading to be at 51.0 for October — unchanged from September.

That release follows China’s National Bureau of Statistics reporting Tuesday that the country’s official manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index for the month of October came in at 51.6 — missing expectations in part due to efforts to cut excess capacity and pollution.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below that signals contraction.

China’s economic data have been showing robust growth this year.

But many expect the mainland’s economy to slow in the latter part of the year due to a crackdown on debt and as the property market cools.

Compared with the official PMI, the Caixin/Markit survey tends to focus more on small- and mid-sized manufacturers.

Capital Economics, for one, said it is expecting growth momentum to have slowed in October. China Economist Chang Liu said the macroeconomic research house expects the Caixin PMI to have edged down last month to 50.7.