Output + new order hikes boosted non-oil private sectors in UAE + KSA + Qatar, while an uplift in Egypt brought the country closer to recovery: Purchasing Manager Indices (PMI) tracking non-energy sectors in the UAE, KSA, Qatar, and Egypt in June showed overall positive signs. The UAE, KSA, and Qatar saw continued gains to their performance on the back of robust demand despite lingering inflation. Improvements to the performance of Egypt’s non-oil sector meant that despite still being in contraction, the country was barely below recovery territory.

Non-oil private sector activity in the UAE in June continued to boom on the back of the fastest expansion to new orders in four years, according to S&P Global’s UAE PMI (pdf). The PMI readings came in at 56.9, slightly above May’s 55.5, and signaling the most pronounced improvement to business conditions since June 2019.

Remember: The all-important 50.0 mark is the threshold separating contraction from growth.

Robust consumer demand and an increase in orders from abroad buoyed the reading, while promotions and competitive pricing also helped secure further sales, the report said. Inflation remained strong, as purchase prices rose on the back of higher costs for raw materials and an increase in wages.

A strong orders pipeline and in-progress projects meant that business output accelerated to its fastest since August of last year, with some panelists also attributing the growth in output to advertising and promotions. Backlogs continued to rise despite higher workloads pushing employment to rise for a 14th consecutive month.

Strong demand and a solid sales pipeline meant that firms in the UAE bumped up purchasing activity in order to shore up inventories, the survey showed. Stocks in June continued to grow and at a quicker pace than that registered in May. Stronger supply chains also meant that firms could amass inventories at a quicker pace due to more timely deliveries from suppliers. Respondents were optimistic for the year-ahead and were confident that orders will continue to grow, though sentiment dipped slightly from May and was below the series’ trend.

Saudi Arabia’s non-oil private sector sang a similar tune as boosting domestic and export sales buoyed the country’s PMI in June. PMI figures for the month came in at 59.6, a notch above May’s 58.5, and above the series’ trend, according to the Riyad Bank Saudi Arabia PMI (pdf).

Record figures all around: Output hit an eight year record, while sales hit a nine year all time high, as tourism and construction accelerated business growth. Purchasing activity also grew at its fastest rate in the survey’s history, while inventories were accumulated at the highest rate in ten months to keep up with explosive sales.

Supply chains were also stronger than ever as average lead times from suppliers came close to breaking survey records, improving at the sharpest rate in 13 years.

Rampant hiring and the need to bump salaries to retain existing workers meant that wage inflation in the Kingdom remained at a historically high rate, the survey showed, adding that the boost in employment helped backlogs decline for the thirteenth straight month. There was also an uptick in purchasing costs although inflation settled at its lowest level since January. Although firms tried to forward increasing costs to clients wherever possible, competitive pressure meant that output charges rose at their slowest rate in 16 months.

Much the same as the UAE and KSA, Qatar’s non-energy sector continued to boom in June on the back of rising output and new orders, with secondary contributions from employment and inventories, according to the survey. PMI readings for the month posted at 53.8, slightly below May’s 55.6, but still above the index’ long-run trend of 52.3, according to Qatar Financial Center’s (QFC) PMI (pdf) for June.

Behind business growth: Firms attributed the boost in orders to tourism, competitive pricing, marketing drives, and brand reputation. Employment continued to grow, helping firms put a dent in their backlogs. Despite growing demand for inputs, supplier’s delivery times improved at the fastest rate so far this year. Accordingly, stronger supply chains also helped firms reduce backlogs. Despite persistent inflation, prices charged to customers for goods and services fell at their fastest rate in more than a year.

Despite remaining in contractionary territory, Egypt saw its best performance in 22 months: Activity in Egypt’s non-oil private sector contracted at its slowest rate in nearly two years in June, in a sign that demand is beginning to recover, according to S&P Global’s Egypt PMI (pdf). The PMI reading for the month came in at 49.1, higher than May’s 47.8, and only fractionally below the all-important 50 mark cut off separating growth from recession.

Lingering inflation, liquidity problems, and sluggish demand continued to weigh on output and sales, according to the report. Nevertheless, output fell at its slowest rate in 21 months, while sales fell at their slowest rates in 30 months. The softer downturns are further signs that Egypt’s non-oil sector has finally rounded the bend and could be poised for growth in the coming months. Some firms have already registered an uplift in certain sectors. Improvements were thanks to domestic orders, as new export orders declined at their fastest rate in 9 months.

Employment remained low and dropped for its seventh consecutive month in June,according to survey results for June. Purchasing and inventories also fell, but at softer rates than May. The spare capacity meant that firms continued to clear backlogs for the fifth consecutive month.

Despite lingering inflation, price hikes were more moderate than previous periods, the survey showed. Input cost inflation fell to its lowest in 16 months, while output prices also rose at a slower pace than May, which respondents attributed to higher production and purchasing costs and measures to hedge against FX changes.

Tags: