China Official Manufacturing PMI at 51.3 in Jan Vs. 51.6 in December

An official gauge of China's factory activity fell for a second straight month in January, pointing to a slowing of growth in the manufacturing sector, that adds to recent signs of softness in the world's second largest economy.

The official manufacturing purchasing managers' index dropped to 51.3 in January from 51.6 in December, government data showed Wednesday.

The January figure came in below a median forecast of 51.5 by economists polled by The Wall Street Journal.

Despite the decline, the index has now stayed above the 50 mark that separates an expansion in activity from a contraction for a year and half, its longest stretch of increasing activity since late 2014.

China's economy outperformed expectations last year to accelerate for the first time in seven years, boosted by strong exports. While the latest slowing of activity may stem from production curbs aimed at reducing pollution in the winter months, other signs of a softness in investment and consumption also point to weaker momentum in the economy.

Write to Liyan Qi at liyan.qi@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 30, 2018 20:29 ET (01:29 GMT)