India, May 6 -- South Africa's private sector activity signalled a moderate expansion in April as output and new orders dropped only marginally, survey results from S&P Global showed Monday.
The purchasing managers' index rose to 50.3 in April from 48.4 in March. Any score below 50.0 indicates contraction, while a reading above 50 indicates expansion in the sector.
While demand remained poor and economic activity declined, some firms were able to increase their output due to a decrease in load shedding and a more gradual decrease in new orders, the survey said.
New orders dropped slightly and to a much lesser extent than in March. Similarly, export demand was slightly lower, which was more evident in a range of African markets but also i...