MANUFACTURING INDEX AT FIVE-YEAR HIGH

The Nikkei India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to 54.7 in December from

52.6 in November. The number is the highest in the past five years. Experts attribute this to an uptick in new orders. Growth was recorded in all three verticals — consumer, intermediate and investment. The index has crossed the

50-point mark for the fifth consecutive month. A reading above 50 shows economic expansion, while a reading below 50 points a contraction. Meanwhile, core sector growth touched a

13-month high of 6.8 per cent in November.