Dec. 1, 2009 (China Knowledge) - China's Purchasing Managers' Index, a major indicator of the strength of the manufacturing sector, stood at 55.2% at the end of November, according to statistics released by the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing today.

The figure is the same as that of October, said the federation.

The index stayed above 50% for the ninth consecutive month since March, when the index rebounded to 52.4%.

Based on surveys directed at purchasing and supply managers of more than 700 manufacturers in China, the PMI measures the economic performance of the country. A PMI reading above 50% suggests expansion in the manufacturing sector, while a PMI below 50% indicates shrinking.

The PMI consists of 11 indices that measure economic performance.

The production index rose 0.1 percentage points from the previous month to 59.4% in November, while the new order index fell 0.1 percentage points to 58.4%.

The new export order index dropped 0.9 percentage points from the previous month to 53.6%, and the import index declined 2.1 percentage points to 52.2%.

The purchasing price index grew 6.5 percentage points from October to 63.4% in November.