Oct. U.S. Markit factory index hits 37-month low

October U.S. Markit manufacturing index edges down - MarketWatch

The final reading for the U.S. manufacturing purchasing managers index in October was 51.0, worse than the flash reading of 51.3 and down from 51.1 in September, Markit reported Thursday. This is a new three-year low reading for the Markit PMI index. The PMI signals further subdued improvement in factory business conditions, Markit said. Readings above 50 indicate expansion. New order growth lost momentum and exports remained a drag in October, Markit added. The Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing index, due at 10 a.m., is expected to show a reading of 50.5% in October, down from 51.5% in the previous month. Earlier, the Markit/CIPS manufacturing purchasing managers' index showed activity in the U.K. manufacturing sector contracted at a faster pace in October. In China, the private-sector PMI released by HSBC indicated a firming in activity to an eight-month high of 49.5, up from a final reading of 47.9 in September