China Economic Activity Loses Steam Sharply in October

A facts-only brief, written by a local AI model from this article in The Wall Street Journal, October 31, 2026. It may contain mistakes, and it is not the article: the full story is at wsj.com.

China’s economic activity decelerated significantly in October, as official indicators for manufacturing, services, and construction all signaled a loss of momentum. The National Bureau of Statistics reported on Saturday that the manufacturing purchasing managers index dropped to 49.3, falling below the 50 threshold that separates expansion from contraction. This figure missed the 49.8 average forecast from economists polled in a survey.

Background

• Manufacturing subindices showed broad weakness, with production falling to 49.8, total new orders dropping to 49.4, and new export orders declining to 48.7, all down from September levels.
• The nonmanufacturing PMI, which encompasses services and construction, slipped to 49.7 from 50.2 in the previous month.
• Within the nonmanufacturing sector, the service activity subindex edged down to 50.0, while the construction subindex fell sharply to 48.0.
• The October manufacturing reading marked a return to contraction territory after a brief period of expansion in September.

Read the full article at wsj.com

More from Saturday, October 31: