South Korea's manufacturing PMI showed renewed but modest expansion in the sector in January, with the survey's headline index picking up to 50.3 from a 49.0 in December. Respondents reported improvement in current conditions but strong price pressures and remain wary about the outlook

Survey respondents reported increases in output and new orders December after declines in November, as well as a bigger increase in new export orders. Respondents, however, reported the third consecutive reduction in payrolls and continue to expect below-average output growth over the next 12 months. The survey shows the biggest increase in input costs since mid-2022 and a solid increase in selling prices.

The Purchasing Managers' Manufacturing Index (PMI) is based on monthly questionnaire surveys of selected companies which provide an advance indication of what is really happening in the private sector economy by tracking changes in variables such as output, new orders, stock levels, employment and prices across the manufacturing sectors.

Investors need to keep their fingers on the pulse of the economy because it dictates how various types of investments will perform. By tracking economic data such as the purchasing managers' manufacturing indexes, investors will know what the economic backdrop is for the various markets. The stock market likes to see healthy economic growth because that translates to higher corporate profits. The bond market prefers less rapid growth and is extremely sensitive to whether the economy is growing too quickly and causing potential inflationary pressures.

The Markit PMI manufacturing data give a detailed look at the manufacturing sector, how busy it is and where things are headed. Since the manufacturing sector is a major source of cyclical variability in the economy, this report has a big influence on the markets. And its sub-indexes provide a picture of orders, output, employment and prices.