Category Archives: Russian composite PMI

5/8/15: Russian Services & Composite PMIs: July 2015


Having covered Russian Manufacturing PMI for July here: http://trueeconomics.blogspot.ie/2015/08/3815-russia-manufacturing-pmi-july-2015.html, let's take a look at the today's Markit release of Services and Composite PMIs.

Services PMI rose to 51.6 in July compared to 49.5 in June, with new business activity reaching fastest growth in 20 months. On a 3mo average basis, sector performance through July was at 51.3 - showing a marginal rate of recovery, and a major improvement on 3mo average through April 2015 (at 46.0), as well as on 3mo average through July 2014 (48.5).


As chart above shows, Russian Services PMI posted above 50 readings in three out of last four months. However, by historical standards, this expansion is extremely weak.

Per Markit: "The Russian service sector returned to modest growth during July, with activity rising on the back of the strongest gain in new business for over a year-and-a-half. Still, excess capacity remained a problem, with companies again comfortably able to make inroads into their work outstanding despite cutting jobs for a seventeenth month in succession."

The decline in Manufacturing (see link above) meant that the Composite PMI for Russia was weaker than the Services PMI. Nonetheless, Composite PMI reached 50.9 in July, up on 49.5 in June. 3mo average through July is at 50.7 against 3mo average through April at 47.4 and 3mo average through July 2014 at 49.5. Just as with Services PMI, Composite PMI has now posted above 50 readings in three out of four last months.

The above suggests strengthening in the stabilisation and early recovery momentum in the Russian economy, albeit we need a rebound in Manufacturing to above 50.0 reading for a couple of months to confirm robustness of this development. While it does appear the Russian economy is now past the worst period of contraction, calling any recovery will require at least couple of more months of improvements in PMIs.

3/4/15: Russian Services & Composite PMIs: Signal of Slower Contraction in Q1 15


Russian Services PMI (Markit and HSBC) came in with a slight improvement in March, rising to 46.1 from 41.3 in February and signalling slower rate of contraction. Services PMI is now reading sub-50 for the 6th month in a row, with 3mo average for Q1 2015 at abysmal 43.8 against Q4 2014 average of 45.9 and Q1 2014 reading of 49.6.


Per Markit release: "Russian service providers signalled some confidence that the recent downturn will prove transitory, with over a third of panellists forecasting some growth of activity from present levels over the next 12 months." Nonetheless, forward expectations are not translating in an improvement in operating conditions today, so "…service sector firms continued to shed staff during March. Latest data showed employment falling for a thirteenth successive month, and again at a marked pace. Despite a reduction in capacity, service providers had sufficient spare resources… Manufacturers also signalled spare capacity during March, with both employment and outstanding business being cut, albeit at slower rates."

As the result of improved (slower) rate of decline in Services activity, Russian Composite PMI also moderated the rate of decline, rising from 44.7 in February to 46.8 in March. As with Services sector, Composite PMI is now running below 50.0 for the sixth month in a row. 3mo average through Q1 2015 is at 45.7, which is much worse than already poor 48.0 average for Q4 2014 and 49.2 average for Q1 2014.

As chart above confirms, Russian economy is in a state of 'getting worse  more slowly' rather than in a state of 'getting better'. Positive outlook over the next 12 months (see details here: http://trueeconomics.blogspot.ie/2015/04/2415-russia-business-outlook-q1-2015.html remains subdued, with Q1 2015 improvement on Q4 2014 failing to restore expectations to 2012-2013 average, let alone to the recovery-consistent 2010-2011 averages.

4/3/15: Russian Services and Composite PMIs signal continued deterioration in the economy


Services PMI for Russia for February 2015 came in at a disappointing - nay disastrous - 41.3 down from January 43.9 and marking the fifth consecutive month of contraction. 3mo average through February is now at 43.7 which is much worse than already poor 3mo average through November 2014 (47.5) and is down massively on 3mo average through February 2014 (51.5). February reading is the lowest in 71 months.




Composite PMI came in at 44.7 - marking a sharp contraction in the economy, down from 45.6 in January 2015. February was the 5th consecutive monthly sub-50 reading and  the lowest for 69 months. 3mo average for Composite indicator is at 45.8, which is down on 3mo average through November 2014 (49.2) and sharply down on 3mo average through February 2014 (50.8).


Chart above shows continued downward trend in all three series since around October 2012, preceded by a weak growth trend from the point of recovery after the Global Financial Crisis in and around Q4 2009 through Q3 2012. The current sub-trend of accelerated decline in composite and services PMIs (August 2014-present) is, dynamically, very similar to the sub-trend over October 2013-May 2014 and similar, again to the sub-trend over January 2013 through July 2013. Dynamically, all indication are that over the next 4-6 months we will see both services and composite indicators hitting mid-30s and manufacturing PMI falling toward high 30s, as consistent with the economic contraction rate closer to 4-5 percent over the year.

Note: Russian manufacturing PMIs were covered here: http://trueeconomics.blogspot.ie/2015/03/2315-russian-manufacturing-pmi-february.html

4/2/15: Russian Services & Composite PMIs: January


Russian manufacturing PMI slipped deeper into contractionary territory posting 47.6 in January compared to 48.9 in December, as covered here: http://trueeconomics.blogspot.ie/2015/02/2215-irish-manufacturing-pmi-january.html

Today's release of the Services PMI adds to the gloom. Services PMI posted its fourth consecutive monthly reading below 50.0, coming in at abysmal 43.9 in January, down from an already disastrous 45.8 in December. 3mo MA through January is now at 44.7 - a deep contraction, deepest since 2009 recession. This compares to the already contractionary 49.4 3mo MA through October 2014. 3mo average through January 2014 was benign 52.2. So we have a full swing of 7.5 points year on year on a 3mo MA basis.

Things are bad over both sectors of the economy, implying that the Composite PMI should be performing poorly as well. No surprise there, hence, with Composite PMI falling to 45.6 the lowest monthly reading since May 2009 and the fourth consecutive monthly reading sub-50. 3mo average through January 2015 is at 46.8, marking significant contraction that accelerated from October 2014 through January 2015. This compares to 3mo average of 50.4 for the 3 months period through October 2014 and with 51.5 3mo average through January 2014. Year on year, 3mo average reading is now down 4.7 points.



In summary, January m/m decline in PMIs was second steepest over 12 months period for Manufacturing, fourth steepest for Services and third steepest for Composite PMI.

The downward trend across all series is being reinforced since Q3 2014.