Global manufacturing activity displayed a mixed picture in March, with growth slowing across several key economies amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. While Germany saw manufacturing expand at its fastest pace since May 2022, driven by pre-emptive ordering to mitigate supply disruptions, other nations experienced stagnation or decline. Indonesia’s manufacturing sector stagnated, with output and new orders falling, while France’s activity showed little expansion. Canada’s sector stagnated due to tariffs and conflict uncertainty, and Japan’s growth slowed despite continued demand for semiconductors. Taiwan also saw a deceleration in growth, with worsening supplier delivery times. A common thread across these reports is rising input costs, fueled by surging energy prices and supply chain disruptions linked to the conflict. Businesses are increasingly passing these costs onto consumers, leading to factory gate inflation. Despite remaining optimistic about future demand, particularly in the AI and semiconductor sectors, manufacturers expressed concerns about prolonged conflict and its impact on global economic stability, leading to lowered output expectations in several regions.
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