China’s August manufacturing activity falls for fourth month By Reuters

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s manufacturing activity shrank in August for a fourth straight month, an official factory survey showed on Saturday, raising expectations that the government will direct more stimulus to households and less to infrastructure projects.

The official purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell to 49.1 in August from 49.4 in July, below the 50 mark that separates growth from contraction and missing a median forecast of 49.5 in a Reuters poll.