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Purchasing Managers' Index™
MARKET SENSITIVE INFORMATION
RBC Canadian Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' IndexTM finds new order and output growth slows further in November
December 1, 2011— - Both output and new orders rose at slower, albeit still solid, rates in November, according to the RBC Canadian Manufacturing Purchasing Managers IndexTM (RBC PMITM), a monthly survey, conducted in association with Markit, a leading global financial information services company, and the Purchasing Management Association of Canada (PMAC), which offers a comprehensive and early indicator of trends in the Canadian manufacturing sector.
The headline RBC PMI - a composite indicator designed to provide a single-figure snapshot of the health of the manufacturing sector - registered 53.3 in November, down from 53.7 in October, and indicated the weakest improvement in Canadian manufacturing business conditions in four months. Index readings above 50.0 signal expansion from the previous month; readings below 50.0 indicate contraction.
The RBC PMI found that Canadian manufacturing business conditions improved further in November. New orders and output both increased solidly, with firms generally linking growth to greater client demand. Nevertheless, the rates of increase eased since October to five- and four-month lows respectively. New export orders also fell for the second month running. Meanwhile, the rate of input price inflation slowed further from April's peak to the weakest in the 14-month survey history.
"The latest RBC PMI numbers show that global uncertainty is weighing on the Canadian Manufacturing sector," said Craig Wright, senior vice-president and chief economist, RBC. "Although the Canadian numbers continue to point to an expansion in the sector compared to declines in other parts of the globe, the trend over the last couple of months has been one of slowing growth."
In addition to the headline RBC PMI, the survey also tracks changes in output, new orders, employment, inventories, prices and supplier delivery times.
Key findings from the November survey include:
- New work intakes increase at weakest pace since June
- Job creation remains solid
- Slowest rate of input price inflation in 14-month survey history
Firms partly attributed the latest improvement in operating conditions to greater client demand. Subsequently, the volume of new orders received by Canadian manufacturers rose solidly in November. That said, new order growth eased since October and was the weakest in five months. Meanwhile, new export orders fell for the second month running, albeit the latest decline was only marginal.
Reflective of larger new orders, monitored companies raised production further in November. Output growth was nonetheless the slowest since July. Backlogs of work fell for the second consecutive month, while stocks of finished goods decreased modestly.
Panellists bought a larger amount of inputs in November, as has been the case since data collection began 14 months ago. Anecdotal evidence attributed the increase in purchasing activity to greater new order requirements. That said, input inventories were depleted for the third month running, as some firms introduced leaner stock holding policies. Concurrently, suppliers' delivery times lengthened during the latest survey period. A number of respondents suggested that vendors were also working with lower stocks.
Employment in Canada's manufacturing sector increased further during November. Approximately one-fifth of surveyed firms hired additional staff, compared with 12 per cent that reduced their headcounts, and generally linked job creation to further output growth.
Higher input costs were recorded by Canadian manufacturers during the latest survey period. Fuel and steel were particularly mentioned as having increased in price. Although the rate of input price inflation was solid overall, it slowed further from April's peak to the weakest in the 14-month series history.
Respondents attempted to pass on greater cost burdens to clients by raising their output charges in November. However, average selling prices rose only fractionally, with a number of monitored companies commenting on stronger competitive pressures.
Regional highlights include:
- Regional PMI data indicated that manufacturing business conditions improved in all four broad Canadian regions in November. The latest expansion was led by Alberta & British Columbia.
- Alberta & British Columbia registered the fastest increase in new work intakes.
- Quebec was the only region to register job losses during November.
- Manufacturers based in Alberta & British Columbia reported the strongest rate of input price inflation.
"Although the overall improvement in business conditions was solid in November, the latest report highlighted a further easing in the rate of growth of the Canadian manufacturing sector," said Cheryl Paradowski, President and Chief Executive Officer, PMAC. "New orders received by Canadian manufacturers continued to increase, which reflected greater demand, but the rate of expansion was the slowest since June. Moreover, new export orders fell for the second month running, albeit only marginally. That said, inflationary pressures eased further, making the latest rise in input prices the weakest in the survey's history."
The report is available at www.rbc.com/newsroom/pmi
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For further information, contact:
Royal Bank of Canada
Rina Cortese,
Director, Media Relations
RBC Capital Markets
Telephone +001-416-974-5506
Email rina.cortese@rbc.com
Gillian McArdle,
Head of Communications, Canada,
RBC Capital Markets
Telephone +001-416-842-4231
Email gillian.mcardle@rbc.com
Purchasing Management Association of Canada
Cheryl Paradowski,
President and CEO
Telephone +001-416-542-9120
Email cparadowski@pmac.ca
Cori Ferguson,
Director, Public Affairs & Communications
Telephone +001-416-542-9129
Email cferguson@pmac.ca
Markit
Mark Wingham,
Economist
Telephone +44-1491-461-004
Email mark.wingham@markit.com
Rachel Harling,
Corporate Communications
Telephone +44-20-7264-6283 / +44-782-7891-072
Email rachel.harling@markit.com
Notes to Editors:
The RBC Canadian Manufacturing PMI™ Report is based on
data compiled from monthly replies to questionnaires sent
to purchasing executives in over 400 industrial companies.
The panel is stratified by Standard Industrial Classification
(SIC) group, based on the industry contribution to GDP.
Survey responses reflect the change, if any, in the current
month compared to the previous month based on data collected
mid-month. For each of the indicators the 'Report' shows the
percentage reporting each response, the net difference between
the number of higher/better responses and lower/worse responses,
and the 'diffusion' index. This index is the sum of the positive
responses plus a half of those responding 'the same'.
Diffusion indexes have the properties of leading indicators
and are convenient summary measures showing the prevailing
direction of change. An index reading above 50 indicates an
overall increase in that variable, below 50 an overall decrease.
The RBC Canadian Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index™
(RBC PMI™) is a composite index based on five of
the individual indexes with the following weights: New Orders
- 0.3, Output - 0.25, Employment - 0.2, Suppliers' Delivery
Times - 0.15, Stock of Items Purchased - 0.1, with the Delivery
Times Index inverted so that it moves in a comparable direction.
The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) survey methodology
has developed an outstanding reputation for providing the
most up-to-date possible indication of what is really happening
in the private sector economy by tracking variables such as
sales, employment, inventories and prices. The indices are
widely used by businesses, governments and economic analysts
in financial institutions to help better understand business
conditions and guide corporate and investment strategy. In
particular, central banks in many countries (including the
European Central Bank) use the data to help make interest
rate decisions. PMI surveys are the first indicators of economic
conditions published each month and are therefore available
well ahead of comparable data produced by government bodies.
Markit do not revise underlying survey data after first publication,
but seasonal adjustment factors may be revised from time to
time as appropriate which will affect the seasonally adjusted
data series. Historical data relating to the underlying (unadjusted)
numbers, first published seasonally adjusted series and subsequently
revised data are available to subscribers from Markit. Please
contact economics@markit.com.
About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada (RY on TSX and NYSE) and its subsidiaries
operate under the master brand name RBC. We are Canada's largest
bank as measured by assets and market capitalization, and
among the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization.
We are one of North America's leading diversified financial
services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking,
wealth management services, insurance, corporate and investment
banking and transaction processing services on a global basis.
We employ approximately 74,000 full- and part-time employees
who serve close to 15 million personal, business, public sector
and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S.
and 55 other countries. For more information, please visit
www.rbc.com.
About Purchasing Management Association of Canada
The Purchasing Management Association of Canada (PMAC) is
the leading, and the largest, association in Canada for supply
chain management professionals. With 7,000 members working
across private and public sectors, PMAC is the principal source
of supply chain training, education and professional development
in the country, requiring all members to adhere to a Code
of Ethics. Through its 10 Provincial and Territorial Institutes,
PMAC grants the SCMP (Supply Chain Management Professional)
designation, the highest achievement in the field and the
mark of strategic leadership. For more information please
see www.pmac.ca.
About Markit
Markit is a leading, global financial information services
company with over 2,300 employees. The company provides independent
data, valuations and trade processing across all asset classes
in order to enhance transparency, reduce risk and improve
operational efficiency. Its client base includes the most
significant institutional participants in the financial marketplace.
For more information, see www.markit.com.
About PMIs
Purchasing Managers' Index™ (PMI™) surveys
are now available for 32 countries and also for key regions
including the Eurozone. They are the most closely-watched
business surveys in the world, favoured by central banks,
financial markets and business decision makers for their ability
to provide up-to-date, accurate and often unique monthly indicators
of economic trends. To learn more go to www.markit.com/economics.
The intellectual property rights to the RBC Canadian Manufacturing
PMI provided herein is owned by Markit Economics Limited.
Any unauthorised use, including but not limited to copying,
distributing, transmitting or otherwise of any data appearing
is not permitted without Markit's prior consent. Markit shall
not have any liability, duty or obligation for or relating
to the content or information ("data") contained
herein, any errors, inaccuracies, omissions or delays in the
data, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. In no
event shall Markit be liable for any special, incidental,
or consequential damages, arising out of the use of the data.
Purchasing Managers' Index™ and PMI™ are trade marks
of Markit Economics Limited, RBC uses the above marks under
licence. Markit and the Markit logo are registered trade marks
of Markit Group Limited.
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