Dutch manufacturing activity logged only a marginal improvement at the start of the year amid a renewed fall in new orders, survey data from S&P Global showed on Monday.
The headline Nevi Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index dropped to 50.1 in January from 51.1 in December. However, any reading above 50 indicates expansion.
The near-neutral reading reflected positive contributions from output, employment, and delivery times, which just outweighed negative influences from new orders and stocks of purchases, the survey said.
New orders fell for the first time in eight months due to weaker domestic demand conditions as export orders rose slightly since December. Meanwhile, employment levels rose for the second straight month. Manufacturers reduced input purchases in line with lower work orders.
Although there was a further drop in input purchasing and deeper cuts to inventories, input price inflation intensified to a 10-month high, and selling price inflation reached an 11-month high.
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