Factories in South-East Asia are firing up as China reopens

Factories in South-East Asia ramped up production and purchasing in January as new orders piled in. - AFP

SINGAPORE (Bloomberg): Asia’s manufacturers are improving at the start of the year as the region becomes more optimistic about how China’s re-opening might help offset an otherwise gloomy outlook for the rest of the world.

Factories in South-East Asia ramped up production and purchasing in January as new orders piled in, data from S&P Global manufacturing purchasing managers’ indexes showed Wednesday. Signs that prices are softening and supply chain disruptions are easing also lifted business confidence for factory output over the next 12 months.