Official data: China manufacturing activities fell in September on power crunch

Official data from the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics showed that manufacturing activities in the country in September fell 0.5 percentage points from August to 49.6 due to electricity supply issues and hiking input prices. 

A sub-index for raw materials costs surged to 63.5 in September from 61.3 in August, further erode earnings for manufacturers. A gauge for new orders fell to 49.3 from 49.6 the month earlier, marking the second straight month of shrinking. 

On the bright side, non-manufacturing activities rebounded to 53.2 points in September from 47.5 in August as the government eased COVID-19 related restrictions.