Reuters
BEIJING (Reuters) -China's factory activity contracted more than expected in October to shrink for a second month, hurt by persistently high raw material prices and softer domestic demand, pointing to more economic disquiet in the final quarter of 2021. The official manufacturing Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI) was at 49.2 in October, down from 49.6 in September, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on Sunday. China's sprawling manufacturing sector has steadily slowed this year, with output in September growing at its most feeble pace since March 2020 due to environmental curbs, power rationing and higher raw material prices.