OUTLOOK UPBEAT: Companies have turned optimistic about their business prospects for the first time since July last year, the Taipei-based think tank said

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 03, 2020
By: Crystal Hsu  /  Staff reporter

The official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) last month climbed to 56.2, the fastest expansion in 19 months, as local companies benefited from 5G deployment and inventory demand for electronics ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER, 中華經濟研究院) said yesterday.

Companies turned upbeat about their prospects for the first time since July last year, with the possibility of a US-China phase one deal on Jan. 15 contributing to the optimism, the Taipei-based think tank said.

The PMI value — the result of a monthly survey intended to gauge the health of the nation’s manufacturing sectors — indicated an upturn in operating conditions for a third consecutive month.

Scores higher than 50 indicate an expansion, while those below the threshold suggest a contraction.
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