Dutch Factory Activity Contracts In March

(RTTNews) - The Dutch manufacturing sector deteriorated slightly in March as a renewed rise in output was offset by a decline in order volumes, survey results from S&P Global showed on Tuesday.

The Nevi Netherlands manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index dropped to 49.6 in March from 50.0 in February. Any score below 50 indicates contraction in the sector.

Output increased for the first time in nine months, while new orders decreased slightly with renewed declines seen across consumer and intermediate goods sectors.

Manufacturing employment fell for the eighth successive month due to a combination of voluntary leavers and ongoing attempts to align headcounts to workloads.

On the price front, input costs continued to rise sharply amid higher labor and raw material costs, and output charges also grew at a marked pace.

Looking ahead, Dutch goods producers were confident that output levels would rise in the next twelve months, buoyed by projected order pipelines and plans to expand capacity.