China's non-manufacturing business activity moderates in Sept: NBS

BEIJING - Business activity in China's non-manufacturing sectors moderated in September, an official monthly survey showed on Friday.

The purchasing managers index (PMI) of the non-manufacturing sectors posted at 54 percent last month, down 0.4 percentage points from August, according to a joint survey by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 represents contraction.

The PMI samples 1,200 non-manufacturing enterprises of various sizes nationwide. It tracks activity in sectors including services, construction, software, aviation, railway transport and real estate.

According to the NBS, the September PMI for the service industry was at 52.5, down 1.1 percentage points from August.

The index for the real estate sector remained below the 50-threshold that demarcates expansion and contraction, suggesting contraction of total business among property firms, it said.

The PMI for the construction industry posted at 60.2 last month, up 2.5 percentage points from August, indicating that construction business activity continued to expand.

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