Fifteen of 22 nations reporting manufacturing data saw gains accelerate in December.
At the beginning of each month, Markit, HSBC, RBC, JP Morgan, and other data gathering institutions publish the latest local readings of the purchasing managers index (PMI). Each reading is based on surveys of hundreds of companies in each country.
We'll be covering most live as they come out.
About two-thirds of countries reporting data have seen faster expansions than in November. The global index also edged higher.
As a general rule, manufacturing PMI™ surveys are always released on the first working day of each month, construction PMIs on the second working day and services PMIs on the third working day.
These are not the most closely followed data points. However, the power of the insights is unparalleled.
Jim O'Neill, Chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, believes the PMI numbers are among the most reliable economic indicators in the world.
Here's the scorecard for Thursday so far:
South Korea: HSBC Manufacturing PMI — 50.8, up from 50.4 in November; a seven-month high
China: HSBC Manufacturing PMI — 50.5, down from 50.8 in November, and a three-month low
Vietnam: HSBC Manufacturing PMI — 51.8, up from 50.3 in November; the sharpest expansion of output since April 2011
Taiwan: HSBC Manufacturing PMI — 55.2, up from 53.4 in November; also the greatest expansion of output since April 2011
Indonesia: HSBC Manufacturing PMI — 50.9, up from 50.3 in November; the fourth-straight month of gains
Spain: Markit Manufacturing PMI — 50.8, up from 49.8 in November; output rises at fastest pace since May 2011
India: HSBC Manufacturing PMI — 50.7, down from 51.3 in November; business conditions improve for second month in a row
Ireland: Investec Manufacturing PMI — 53.5, up from 52.4 in November; firms raise output for fourth month in a row
Netherlands: NEVI Manufacturing PMI — 57.0, up from 56.8 in November; new orders increase at sharpest rate since April 2011
Poland: HSBC Manufacturing PMI — 53.2, down from 54.4 in November; employment continues to rise at solid pace
Turkey: HSBC Manufacturing PMI — 53.5, down from 55.0 in November; index remains above long-term average
Czech Republic: HSBC Manufacturing PMI — 55.4, up from 54.7 in November; eighth-straight month of expansion
Italy: Markit/ADACI Manufacturing PMI — 53.4, up from 51.1 in November; output growth hits 32-month high
France: Markit Manufacturing PMI — 47.0, down from 48.4 in November; index at seven-month low
Germany: Markit/BME Manufacturing PMI — 54.3, up from 52.4; index at two-and-a-half-year high
Eurozone: Markit Manufacturing PMI — 52.7, up from 51.6 in November; 31-month high
Greece: Markit Manufacturing PMI — 49.6, up from 49.2 in November; output expands for second-straight month
UK: Markit / CIPS Manufacturing PMI — 57.3, down from 58.1 in November, which had been a 33-month high
Australia: Ai Group PMI — 47.6, unchanged; contraction continues
Brazil: HSBC Manufacturing PMI — 50.5, up from 49.7 in November; output climbed for the fourth-straight month
U.S.: Markit Manufacturing PMI — 55.0, up from 54.7 in November; output at highest level since March 2012
Canada RBC Manufacturing PMI — 53.5, down from 55.3 in November; a four-month low
Mexico: HSBC Manufacturing PMI — 52.6, up from 51.9 in November; output growth accelerates to 10-month high
Worldwide: JPMorgan Manufacturing PMI — 53.3, up from 53.1 in November; 32-month high
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