Saudi PMI down to 56.4 points in May; business activity expands at solid pace

04/06/2024 Argaam Special
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's flag

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's flag


The seasonally adjusted Riyad Bank Saudi Arabia Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), formerly S&P Global Saudi Arabia PMI, dropped to 56.4 points in May 2024.

 

The non-oil private sector saw another strong monthly improvement. However, this reading was the second-lowest since 22 months, surpassed only by the recent low in January.

 

In May, non-oil businesses thrived in May. Strong demand and backlog clearing fueled activity across all sectors, with construction leading the expansion.

 

Inventory growth stayed strong after an April record high, as firms prepped for future sales. Low cost pressures allowed firms to keep prices subdued. However, high inventory levels led to slower purchasing growth, the weakest since September 2021.

 

New orders for non-oil entities rose sharply in May, but at the slowest pace in over two years. Some firms faced slower market conditions and competition challenges. Domestic sales drove new order growth, with a modest rise in exports too.

 

Saudi Arabia PMI since 2022*

Month

Index (Points)

Change (Points)

Change (%)

January 2022

53.2

(0.7)

(1.3%)

February

56.2

+3.0

+5.6%

March

56.8

+0.6

+1.1%

April

55.7

(1.1)

(1.9%)

May

55.7

--

--

June

57.0

1.3+

+2.3%

July

56.3

(0.7)

(1.2%)

August

57.7

+1.4

+2.5%

September

56.6

(1.1)

(1.9%)

October

57.2

+0.6

+1.1%

November

58.5

+1.3

+2.3%

December

56.9

(1.6)

(2.7%)

January 2023

58.2

+1.3

+2.3%

February

59.8

+1.6

+2.7%

March

58.7

(1.1)

(1.8%)

April

59.6

+0.9

+1.5%

May

58.5

(1.1)

(1.8%)

June

59.6

+1.1

+1.9%

July

57.7

(1.9)

(3.2%)

August

56.6

(1.1)

(1.9%)

September

57.2

+0.6

+1.1%

October

58.4

+1.2

+2.1%

November

57.5

(0.9)

(1.5%)

December

57.5

--

--

January 2024

55.4

(2.1)

(3.7%)

February

57.2

+1.8

+3.2%

March

57.0

(0.2)

(0.3%)

April

57.0

--

--

May

56.4

(0.6)

(1.1%)

*Change on a monthly basis.

 

 

The PMI is a weighted average of the following five indices:

 

Riyad Bank PMI Details

Subindex

Percentage 

New orders

30 %

Output

25 %

Employment

20 %

Suppliers’ delivery times

15 %

Stocks of purchases

10 %

Total

100 %

 

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