Russian Factory Activity Returns To Growth Zone

(RTTNews) - Russia's manufacturing sector expanded for the first time in three months in May amid a fresh upturn in new orders, survey results from S&P Global showed on Monday.

The manufacturing purchasing managers' index, or PMI, rose to 50.2 in May from 49.3 in April. A reading above 50 indicates expansion.

There was a renewed rise in new orders in May, although marginal. The increase was driven by stronger client demand and the acquisition of new customers. Meanwhile, foreign demand was not favorable, as new export orders fell for the third straight month.

Despite the rise in overall new sales, output fell further due to shortages of some items, and firms also reduced their purchasing activity. Nonetheless, manufacturers expanded their workforce numbers marginally.

On the price front, input prices rose at a faster pace in May amid higher supplier and raw material costs. As a result, selling price inflation remained elevated.

Looking ahead, firms were confident about output expectations over the year ahead on the back of hopes of an improvement in demand conditions and planned investment in production processes and product ranges.