China November Official Manufacturing PMI 51.8 Vs Market Expectation for 51.5

An official gauge of China's factory activity rose in November after declining, reflecting resilience in the world's second-largest economy.

The official manufacturing purchasing managers' index rose to 51.8 from 51.6 in October, the National Bureau of Statistics said Thursday. The index has stayed above the 50 mark that separates expansion from contraction for 16 months.

China's economy showed surprising strength in the first three quarters of the year. The latest reading for manufacturing activity points to a potential continued firmness despite analyst expectations that a slowdown toward the end of the year due to Beijing's efforts to cut excess capacity, rein in leverage and limit pollution would weigh on economic activity.

The November reading beat a median forecast of 51.5 by economists polled by The Wall Street Journal.

The subindex measuring new orders rose to 53.6 from 52.9 in October, while the production subindex climbed to 54.3 from 53.4, the stats bureau said.

China's official nonmanufacturing PMI, also released Thursday, rose to 54.8 in November from 54.3 in October.

Write to Grace Zhu at grace.zhu@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 29, 2017 20:25 ET (01:25 GMT)