Key points: • Flash Japan Manufacturing PMI™ at 35-month high of 53.5 in February (52.7 in January). • Flash Manufacturing Output Index at 54.3 (53.2 in January). Sharpest rate of growth for three years. • Record-high business confidence at Japanese manufacturers. Data collected 09–17 February. Today sees the latest public release of the Nikkei Flash Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index™ (PMI™). Published on a monthly basis approximately one week before final PMI data are released, this makes the PMI the earliest available indicator of manufacturing sector operating conditions in Japan. The estimate is ... (full story)

The Nikkei Flash Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index, or PMI, rose to 53.5 in February from January's 52.7, hitting a 35-month high. A reading above 50 signals an improvement, while one below 50 points to a contraction in activity. February's PMI recorded the above-50 level for the sixth consecutive month. "Japan's manufacturing engine shifted into a higher gear during February, as faster increases in output, new business and employment were reported," said Samuel Agass, an economist at IHS Markit, which compiles the survey. "Encouragingly, with backlogs of work accumulating for the first time in 14 ... (full story)