Mubasher: Factory activity in China stalled in November, as business sentiment deteriorated on mounting uncertainties from trade conflict with the US.

Chinese manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI), the official monthly economic indicator, edged down to 50 in November, from 50.2 in October, data released by National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on Friday.

This came fractionally below a forecast of 50.1, according to analysts polled by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

The gauge remained above a reading of 50, a mark that separates expansion from contraction in activity, since July 2016 when the index came in at 49.9.

Downward pressure on foreign trade has mounted in recent months amid slower global economic growth and rising uncertainties from trade disputes, NBS analyst Zhao Qinghe said in a statement accompanying the PMI data, noting that recent softening in some commodity prices dragged sentiment down.

Gauges of new export and import orders have been in a contraction territory over the fifth month in a row.

The new export sub-index, which indicates external demand for Chinese manufactured goods, ticked up to 47 in November from 46.9.

The index measuring new import orders, an indicator of domestic demand, dipped to 47.1 from 47.6.

A sub index gauging production inched down to 51.9 in November from 52, as new orders index came in at 50.4, down from 50.8.

By 9:48 am GMT, the Chinese yuan (CNY) went down 0.03% against the US dollar to CNY 6.9449.