Asian factories under pressure as China slows

Malaysia’s manufacturing PMI slipped to 50.1 from 51.6 in April with output and new orders also falling. The Philippines index dipped to 54.1, from 54.3, while Thailand was unchanged at 51.9. Australia’s gauge fell to 55.7 from 58.8. (File pic: Workers packing cooking oil at a factory in Klang. AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star)

BEIJING: Exporters across trade-heavy Asia are juggling an increasingly complex set of risks, as China’s Covid-19 lockdowns stifle activity, supply issues emanate from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and demand-side worries emerge as accelerating inflation dents consumption in the world’s biggest economies.

While central bankers charge ahead with fighting price gains, economists are tracking a more subdued trajectory ahead for global goods trade.