ASEAN manufacturing PMI reaches record high in February in World Economy News 03/03/2026 The ASEAN manufacturing sector posted its strongest performance since data collection began in July 2012, with the S&P Global ASEAN Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index rising to 53.8 in February from 52.8 in January, according to data released Tuesday. The index has now remained in positive territory for eight consecutive months, with readings above 50 indicating improvement in operating conditions compared to the previous month. New orders rose at the fastest pace on record, surpassing the previous high observed in October 2021. The increase extended the current expansion sequence to seven months. Production also climbed at a near-record rate during the month. New export orders returned to growth for the first time in four months, rising at a moderate pace that marked the quickest expansion in four years. Companies responded to higher demand by increasing purchasing activity and workforce numbers, extending growth runs to seven and six months respectively. The rates of expansion ranked among the strongest in the series history. Outstanding work rose for a sixth consecutive month as capacity pressures intensified. Input prices rose sharply, though the pace of inflation remained broadly unchanged from January and historically weak. Output charges increased modestly during the period. Data were collected from approximately 2,100 manufacturers across Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam between February 4 and 23. These countries represent 98% of ASEAN manufacturing value added. Manufacturers expressed strong optimism regarding output growth over the coming 12 months, though confidence moderated slightly from January to a three-month low. Maryam Baluch, economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said the sharp influx of new orders allowed firms to ramp up production at a similar pace. She noted that the solid upturn in backlogs suggests further scope for expansions, with companies remaining optimistic about output growth prospects. Source: Investing.com 2026-03-03 hellenicshippingnews... window.___gcfg = {lang: 'en-US'}; (function(w, d, s) { function go(){ var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], load = function(url, id) { if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;} js = d.createElement(s); js.src = url; js.id = id; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }; load('//connect.facebook.net/en/all.js#xfbml=1', 'fbjssdk'); load('https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js', 'gplus1js'); load('//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js', 'tweetjs'); } if (w.addEventListener) { w.addEventListener("load", go, false); } else if (w.attachEvent) { w.attachEvent("onload",go); } }(window, document, 'script')); tweet Share