South Korea's Manufacturing Activity Slows Further in October
South Korea's manufacturing PMI fell to 51.3 in October, its weakest reading since February, according to S&P Global data cited by Market Talk.
- published on Newsmetry
- original source published
the same feed is available to bots and dashboards through the api. connect the api →
what happened
According to Market Talk, citing S&P Global data, South Korea's seasonally adjusted manufacturing PMI dropped to 51.3 in October. That is the weakest reading since February, with output and new orders slowing sharply and production growing at the slowest pace of 2026 so far.
S&P Global Market Intelligence economist Usamah Bhatti cited weaker demand, raw-material shortages and high costs as drags. Input prices rose sharply, and employment fell for the first time in four months. Still, companies remain confident, banking on new product launches and on strong demand for semiconductors, which Bhatti described as a 'supercycle'.
why it matters
The signal is mixed for markets. Softer output and hiring point to a slowing economy, but expectations for semiconductor demand support chipmakers and exporters. Rising costs could weigh on corporate margins.
market impact
KOSPI: weak factory data weighs, while chip demand expectations provide support
- KOSPI mixed — weak factory activity weighs on the index, while chip demand expectations support it
tags
instruments
sources
- South Korea PMI Shows Faltering Manufacturing Momentum — Market Talk, 2 November 2026 at 03:44 UTC
prepared by the newsmetry newsroom with ai assistance from the sources listed below. not investment advice.
alerts on your topics, the morning digest and the api — in your account.
get stories in real time ↗