Supply Chain Research

Chinese business confidence slipped in July with the latest CFLP survey showing manufacturing expectations at their lowest since February for imports and exports. The import measure fell to 49.6 (50 indicates a neutral outlook) while exports remained negative. That’s likely due to the imposition of duties by both China and the U.S. on a widening set of products. It will also have a knock-on effect to exporters across Asia, with South Korea having seen a 13% growth in exports in June and by 7% in Japan.