Global Manufacturing Expansion Steadied in December, After Easing Through Much of H2 2006. Input Price Inflation at Seventeen-Month Low.

After easing through much of H2 2006, the rate of expansion of the global manufacturing sector steadied in December. This was highlighted by the JPMorgan Global Manufacturing PMI posting 53.3, unchanged from November's fifteen-month low. National PMI data suggested that slightly slower growth in the Asia-Pacific region was offset by a recovery in the US manufacturing sector (following the contraction recorded in the previous month). Expansion remained robust in the euro area.