New orders, faster output pull up April manufacturing PMI from 5-month low

PMI rose to 51.6 in April from March's 51, manufacturing conditions improve for ninth consecutive month in April

Growth in manufacturing picked up in April, raising hopes of quicker recovery for the sector from the doldrums of slow growth that had been recorded in March, showed the widely-tracked Nikkei purchasing managers’ index (PMI) on Wednesday.

The PMI rose to 51.6 in April from March's 51, which was a 5-month low. A reading above 50 shows expansion. Overall, manufacturing conditions improved for the ninth consecutive month in April, the PMI report said. Also, after lowering their payroll numbers for the first time in eight months back in March, firms managed to stimulate marginal job creation in April as idle