4月制造业PMI回落至49% 东方金诚王青：二季度“适时降准降息”的时机已趋于成熟

Core Viewpoint - The April PMI data indicates a decline in manufacturing while the service sector remains in expansion, suggesting a mixed economic outlook for China [1][10]. Manufacturing Sector - The manufacturing PMI for April is reported at 49.0%, a decrease of 1.5 percentage points from the previous month, falling below the critical threshold [1][6]. - The decline in manufacturing PMI is attributed to two main factors: significant changes in the external environment due to increased tariffs from the U.S. and seasonal factors, as April typically sees a drop following the peak in March [5][11]. - High-tech manufacturing continues to show resilience, with a PMI of 51.5%, indicating ongoing expansion despite a slight decline [7]. Service Sector - The service sector PMI stands at 50.1%, down 0.2 percentage points from March, but still within the expansion range [1][10]. - The service sector's performance is supported by seasonal factors such as the Qingming holiday, which boosted tourism and related services [10]. - Certain high-growth industries within the service sector, such as telecommunications and IT services, maintain strong activity levels, with indices above 55.0% [10]. Economic Policy Outlook - Analysts suggest that the likelihood of policy rate cuts increases after two consecutive months of manufacturing PMI in contraction, with expectations for timely adjustments in the second quarter [3][12]. - The construction sector's PMI is at 51.9%, reflecting a decline due to reduced real estate investment, but infrastructure-related activities show promise with a business activity index of 60.9% [10]. - The government is expected to implement more aggressive macroeconomic policies to stimulate demand and support infrastructure investment, as indicated by recent political meetings [10].