Asia's big manufacturing hubs struggled to fire up in October, business surveys showed on Monday, as weak US demand and tariffs under President Donald Trump hit factory orders across the region. Private-sector purchasing managers' indexes (PMIs) for October released on Monday showed manufacturing activity growing at a slower pace in China and falling in South Korea, with export orders in both countries declining. Friday's official PMI survey showed China's factory activity falling for the seventh straight month, confirming suspicions that the earlier export rush to get ahead of US tariffs had well and truly ended. Trade data for September showed China's exports rising faster-than-expected, although this was mostly due to growth in new markets as US-bound shipments tumbled 27% year-on-year. In stark contrast to its northeast Asian peers, India's factory activity sped up, helped by brisk domestic demand that helped offset the hit to exports.
