BEIJING, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- China's non-manufacturing sector expanded in October at a faster pace than September, a key business index indicated.
The Purchasing Managers' Index, or PMI, which shows expansion with numbers above 50, measured 55.5 in October, up from September's reading of 53.7.
October's measure matched the PMI of October 2011, China's official Xinhua news agency reported Saturday.
The index peaked for the year in March at 58. It's low point of the year was September, the news agency said.
The new orders index, a key component measure that hints at future production, dropped 0.2 percentage points to 51.6 in the month.
The China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing reported Thursday that China's manufacturing PMI rose to 50.2 in October. The manufacturing PMI for September was 49.8.
The CFLP is also responsible for Saturday's service sector PMI report.
