UK February final manufacturing PMI 58.0 vs 57.3 prelim

This is a solid report, with the revision higher also helping to add a bit of shine to the details. Output and new orders expanded at a quicker pace and supply chain issues showed further signs of easing, though input cost inflation remains at elevated levels. Markit notes that:

“February saw rates of expansion in UK manufacturing production and new orders both accelerate. Growth was boosted by stronger domestic demand and by firms catching up on delayed work as material shortages and supply chain disruptions started to dissipate. Consumer goods output in particular also benefitted from increased sales due to a further easing of COVID restrictions. However, the trend in new export orders is less positive, slipping back into contraction after January’s short-lived uptick. While companies maintain a positive outlook for the year ahead, rising headwinds, especially the intensifying geopolitical backdrop, are ratcheting up near-term risks to demand and confidence.

“Inflationary pressure also remained elevated across the manufacturing sector in February. Companies were hit hard by rising transportation, energy and commodity prices, leading to further increases in selling prices. That said, rates of inflation Inflation Inflation is defined as a quantitative measure of the rate in which the average price level of goods and services in an economy or country increases over a period of time. It is the rise in the general level of prices where a given currency effectively buys less than it did in prior periods.In terms of assessing the strength or currencies, and by extension foreign exchange, inflation or measures of it are extremely influential. Inflation stems from the overall creation of money. This money is m Inflation is defined as a quantitative measure of the rate in which the average price level of goods and services in an economy or country increases over a period of time. It is the rise in the general level of prices where a given currency effectively buys less than it did in prior periods.In terms of assessing the strength or currencies, and by extension foreign exchange, inflation or measures of it are extremely influential. Inflation stems from the overall creation of money. This money is m Read this Term for input costs and output charges eased further. Although this easing may have provided some temporary respite, signs that energy and oil prices may stay high is a further cause for concern.”