Growth of the UK manufacturing sector slowed further in September, as companies reported weaker increases in production, new business and new export orders. Price pressures were also relatively muted, as output charge inflation slowed further and input costs fell for the first time in five months. At 51.6 in September, the seasonally adjusted Markit/CIPS Purchasing Manager’s Index® (PMI®) fell to a 17-month low and a reading only slightly above its long-run average of 51.5. The average PMI reading in the third quarter (52.8) was also the weakest since the second quarter of last year and down sharply from those seen ... (full story)