Manufacturers report uptick in orders in February

China's factory activity expanded in February, marking its fastest pace in three months, a private survey showed on Monday, signaling stabilizing growth in the first quarter and a strong start for the world's second-largest economy in 2025.

The Caixin China General Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index, an indicator of the operating conditions of the country's manufacturing sector, rose to 50.8 in February from 50.1 in January, remaining above the 50 mark that separates expansion from contraction for a fifth consecutive month, media group Caixin said in a report on Monday.

Economists said they expect that the Chinese economy will get off to a pretty good start in the first quarter with around 5 percent year-on-year growth, supported by the continuing recovery trend that began in late 2024, the expansion of the consumer trade-in program for 2025 and fresh stimulus measures set to be unveiled during the two sessions, the annual meetings of China's top legislative and political advisory bodies.