- Prior 47.4
Swiss manufacturing activity was surprisingly more robust in March, despite the impact of the Middle East conflict already starting to show up. Of note, production levels returned to expansion territory with it rising by 3.6 points to 50.6 in March. Meanwhile, the manufacturing orderbook also rose strongly by 7.3 points to 54.2 on the month.
That being said, there are some downsides that are worth noting. Purchasing prices saw a massive surge amid higher input cost inflation, with it climbing 15.5 points to 71.3. Meanwhile, suppliers’ delivery times also increased significantly by 10.2 points to 63.6 on the month.
Those might well come and bite at Swiss manufacturing in the months ahead, should we see the Middle East conflict extend further. That especially if key energy facilities in the region continue to be affected as such. Procure notes that while the headline estimate climbed above the 50-point growth mark for the first time in more than three years, there are “doubts over the durability of the rebound”.
This article was written by Justin Low at investinglive.com.
