Germany's manufacturing sector expansion continued for the sixth straight month in July as overseas demand caused output to increase at the fastest pace in nearly 4.5 years, while cost pressures softened, S&P Global said Monday.
The final headline S&P Global Germany Manufacturing PMI came in at 52.2, in line with the flash estimate and up from the previous month's 50.3. The latest reading was the joint-highest since May 2022.
India attracted $40.8 billion in foreign currency inflows under the Reserve Bank of India's concessional swap facility as of July 31, according to a Reserve Bank of India release on Friday.The inflows included $36.7 billion in FCNR(B) deposits, $2.6 billion in overseas foreign currency borrowings, and $1.5 billion in external commercial borrowings.The central bank launched the swap facility in June to encourage fresh inflows of foreign currency.
A drop in diesel prices helped keep construction cost growth in check in New Zealand in July, QV said in a report on Monday.Diesel prices fell sharply month over month in July, declining nearly 21%, helping to reduce costs in fuel-intensive areas of construction work. Excavation, which fell 4.5%, saw the largest average reduction in both June and July."Diesel has fallen from June to July, and that saving has flowed through to some of the trades most exposed to fuel costs," QV CostBuilder spokesperson Martin Bisset said, adding that overall costs remained broadly stable.Concrete blockwork prices increased 0.8%, while concrete rose 0.9%, the report said. Expanded polystyrene sheet was up 9.3%, aquatherm pipework by 7.5%, and copper pipework by 4%.
New Zealand's home value index fell 0.3% in July following a decline of the same magnitude in the previous month, continuing a subdued trend observed during the first six months of the year, Cotality said in an Aug. 1 report.The national median property value of NZ$804,303 in July was down by 1% from three months ago and down 0.7% from a year earlier, according to the report.Values remain nearly 18% below their January 2022 peak, but 16% above the pre-pandemic level from March 2020, Cotality said."Property sales volumes have inched lower so far this year, although they're still at a relatively normal level," said Cotality NZ Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson. "But the stock of listings remains elevated and this is giving buyers the balance of power when it comes to pricing.""Mortgage rates haven't moved much in recent weeks, but the likelihood is that some rises are on the cards again in the short term," Davidson added.The report pointed to broad-based falls in values across Auckland's sub-markets in July, with Rodney and Papakura posting relatively modest drops of 0.2% and Franklin dipping by 0.3%. But in the country's other four main areas, there was a uniform drop of 0.6% in July.