Saudi PMI falls to 58.4 points in February

01:53 PM (Mecca time) 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 58.4 points in February.

 

This pullback was mainly due to a slowdown in new business growth after witnessing one of the fastest rates recorded at the beginning of the year. The index indicated that business conditions in the non-oil private sector have notably improved since the previous month.

 

This was confirmed by strong growth in customer sales and business activity. Improved market demand led to a sharp increase in employment levels, as corporates sought to expand operational capacity and prepare for growth opportunities, as optimism towards future activity rose to its strongest level since late 2023. Meanwhile, overall input cost pressures remained high and output prices rose further.

 

Survey participants pointed to resilient demand conditions, amid improved sales and gaining new customers, thus helping boost production across the non-oil sector. They also noted that increased tourism and improved marketing efforts drove growth. While production expansion slowed slightly, it remained at the highest level since mid-2023.

 

Riyad Bank Saudi Arabia PMI since 2023*

Month

Index (Points)

Change (Points)

Change (%)

Jan. 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

--

--

Jan. 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%)

June

55.0

(1.4)

(2.5%)

July

54.4

(0.6)

(1.1%)

August

54.8

+0.4

+0.7%

September

56.3

+1.5

+2.7%

October

56.9

+0.6

+1.1%

November

59.0

+2.1

+3.7%

December

58.4

(0.6)

(1.0%)

Jan. 2025

60.5

+2.1

+3.6%

February

58.4

(2.1)

(3.5%)

*Change on a monthly basis.

 

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

 

PMI Sub-Indices

Sub-index

Ratio (%) 

New orders

30%

Production

25%

Employment

20%

Suppliers’ delivery times

15%

Stocks of purchases

10%

Total

100%

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