Indicators

Asia Factory Outlook at Lowest Since Pandemic on Trump Tariffs

Workers operate sewing machines at a garment factory in Binh Thuan province, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Photographer: Linh Pham/Bloomberg

Manufacturers across Southeast Asia turned the least optimistic about future growth since the depths of the pandemic amid Trump’s long tariff rollout, even as activity improved last month.

Confidence in future output across the region fell to the lowest since July 2020, according to S&P Global purchasing managers’ index data published Friday.