- Construction PMI 39.7 vs 45.6 expected
- Prior 45.6
The reading reflects a sharp fall in overall business activity as surging inflation pressures are starting to weigh on demand conditions. There was a marked fall in new business in April, with a steep decline especially in civil engineering activity. House building also registered a notable drop in activity while commercial work did manage to show some resilience. That said, the drop in the latter is still the fastest so far recorded during the course of this year.
Of note, total new business saw its sharpest decline since November last year. That as firms cite elevated business uncertainty due to the Middle East conflict leading to longer sales conversion times and fewer tender opportunities.
Meanwhile, supplier delivery times also increased markedly on the month with the lengthening of average lead times being the sharpest since December 2022. This was mainly attributed to international shipping delays, alongside difficulties importing materials from the Gulf region.
The big thing to note in the report though was that there was another big jump in input prices. The overall rate of cost inflation moved up by the quickest since June 2022 and many firms noted the passthrough of higher transportation costs by suppliers. Tough times.
