China manufacturing growth stalls in September

BEIJING, Oct 1 (AFP) : Chinese manufacturing growth stalled in September, data showed Wednesday, as a sluggish property market complicates leaders' attempts to address a slowdown in the world's second-largest economy.
The official purchasing managers index (PMI) came in at 51.1 in September, unchanged from the previous month, the National Bureau of Statistics said in a statement.
While it was above the 50-point mark that separates growth and contraction, it comes a day after HSBC's own PMI missed forecasts, and analysts said authorities will likely use the gauges to adjust policy.
The index tracks activity in China's factories and workshops and is a closely-watched indicator of the health of the economy.  Beijing's official PMI for July came in at 51.7, which was an increase from June's 51.0.
ANZ Bank economists Liu Li-Gang, Zhou Hao and Louis Lam said that the latest PMI readings "suggest that there is little improvement in growth momentum".
"In our view, the current crackdown on shadow banking activities, continued weakness in the property market and rising credit risks in the commodity sector will continue to weigh on the economy," they said.