PH factory

Owen said in a statement. “[T]his led companies to hold back on hiring plans, signaling reduced pressure on capacity as output growth slowed.”

“Meanwhile, stocks continued to rise, but at a notably subdued rate. At the same time, manufacturers looked toward 2020 with improved optimism as growth plans began to take shape. This brought output expectations to [its] strongest since February,” he added.

The output index fell to its weakest since April, indicating that manufacturing firms saw growth losing momentum.

While domestic demand was strong, external markets experienced difficulties, with new