Fashion
US manufacturing performance improves in March 2026
The seasonally-adjusted S&P Global US manufacturing PMI recorded 52.3 in March. That was an improvement from 51.6 in February and indicative of a moderate rate of expansion. It was the eighth successive month that the PMI has posted above the critical 50 no-change mark.
However, with tariffs continuing to hit new export sales, US growth was principally driven by higher domestic demand. Moreover, this in part reflected some client safety stock building due to the war in the Middle East, which drove up inflation and added to supply-chain stress.
US manufacturing performance improved in March, with growth solid and picking up since February amid better gains in both output and new orders, S&P Global US manufacturing PMI data show.
However, with tariffs continuing to hit new export sales, US growth was principally driven by higher domestic demand.
Firms are hopeful that March’s overall increase in sales will be sustained over the coming months.
March’s survey signalled notable accelerations in both input and output price inflation, whilst the time taken to deliver inputs to manufacturers deteriorated to the greatest degree since October 2022, a release from S&P Global said.
Meanwhile, confidence in the outlook softened fractionally, with firms noting worries over higher energy prices and tariffs.
Employment numbers were little changed overall.
Higher output and new orders helped to support the PMI in March. In both instances, growth rates were solid.
Firms are hopeful that March’s overall increase in sales will be sustained over the coming months. Confidence in the outlook remained positive overall.
However, worries over energy prices and tariffs meant expectations softened slightly since February.
Heightened uncertainty in the outlook prompted some firms to build safety stocks, resulting in strong growth in purchasing activity. Overall buying rose at one of the fastest rates since June 2025, though input inventories remained unchanged in March.
Firms adopted a more cautious approach to hiring, with staffing levels largely unchanged. Meanwhile, vendor delivery times deteriorated to the greatest extent in nearly three-and-a-half years, as the war in the Middle East disrupted transportation and worsened supplier stock shortages.
The conflict also pushed up global energy prices, adding to cost pressures. In response, firms raised their selling prices where possible, driving factory gate inflation to a seven-month high in March.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
All customs dossiers will then be processed through a single clearance team.
Vietnam’s Hai Phong region’s customs department will launch a pilot centralised customs clearance model from June 1 to cut clearance times by 30-50 per cent and lower logistics and compliance costs.
Customs dossiers will then be processed through a single clearance team.
Administrative procedures and inconsistent implementation of regulations are the major challenges for businesses, EuroCham Vietnam said.
Deputy president of the Hai Phong Business Association Vu Ngoc Lam called on customs authorities to provide more detailed guidance for companies on electronic documentation, declaration classification, supplementary declarations, cargo release procedures and tax and fee payments under the new system, according to a domestic media outlet.
He also urged the authorities to maintain dedicated support channels for businesses and strengthen data connectivity among customs agencies, ports, shipping lines, logistics firms, warehouses and import-export enterprises.
Administrative procedures and inconsistent implementation of regulations across localities remain major challenges for businesses, Nguyen Hai Minh, deputy president of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, said.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Industrial activity stayed strong in many segments. The index of eight core industries witnessed an uptick. Manufacturing PMI also rose marginally as cost pressures and geopolitical spillovers kept growth momentum in new orders and output slow.
India’s economic activity in April showed resilience notwithstanding deceleration in some of the indicators, and the economy showed strength despite geopolitical and trade related uncertainties, an article in the RBI Bulletin said.
Industrial activity was strong in many segments.
However, financial conditions, crude oil prices and capital flows continue to pose challenges to the external sector outlook.
However, financial conditions, crude oil prices and capital flows continue to pose challenges to the external sector outlook, the article said.
Early results of listed private non-financial companies for the fourth quarter (Q4) of fiscal 2025-26 (FY26) also showed an improvement in business performance over the previous quarter, with aggregate sales and operating profit recording a double-digit growth.
The merchandise trade deficit widened in April this year over March, with rising import bill primarily on account of crude oil and gold imports. The trade deficit also registered an increase albeit marginally vis-a-vis April 2025.
The available high-frequency indicators of economic activity in April generally suggest sustained demand, notwithstanding challenges in a few sectors.
India is witnessing a trade reconfiguration amidst the emerging geopolitical situation, the article titled ‘State of the Economy’ noted. Its trade through the Strait of Hormuz that had declined sequentially in March went up in April this year.
Despite significant increase in input cost, operating profit growth of manufacturing companies remained broadly stable during Q4 FY26. However, the operating profit margin softened during the quarter.
However, the near-term outlook is somewhat clouded by supply side pressures, the article noted.
It said though headline inflation remains firmly within the tolerance band, the pass-through to domestic prices needs to be monitored.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
The extension follows a brief lapse in the programme in September 2025, which had caused uncertainty for African exporters dependent on US market access.
Exporters in many African nations have regained duty-free access to the US after the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) was extended till 2026 end by a US presidential proclamation.
The extension follows a lapse in the programme in late 2025, which had caused uncertainty for African exporters dependent on US market access.
Gabon was reinstated as an AGOA beneficiary, reversing its 2023 removal.
It was restored in February 2026 when Trump signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, extending AGOA retroactively to the end of 2026.
The latest presidential proclamation on May 19 formally implemented the extension and updated US tariff schedules. Gabon has been reinstated as a beneficiary of AGOA after making sufficient progress on governance and eligibility, reversing its 2023 removal.
The announcement is a big relief for African economies that depend heavily on AGOA-linked trade, particularly in labour-intensive sectors like garments, where duty-free access significantly improves competitiveness in the US market.
But the limited extension continues uncertainty over the long-term future of the programme.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
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