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Japan's factory declines accelerate as demand sags, PMI shows
Japan's factory activity shrank at the fastest pace in three months in October as weak domestic and overseas demand hurts sales and output, a private-sector survey showed on Friday. The final au Jibun Bank Japan manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) fell to 49.2 in October from 49.7 in September. It was slightly up from 49.0 reported in the flash reading. But the index remained below the 50.0 threshold that separates growth from contraction for the fourth straight month. "Firms often mentioned weakness in domestic and global demand had weighed on sales and output, notably in semiconductors and ... (full story)