Global factories parched for demand, need stimulus

JPMorgan's Global Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), produced with Markit, came in at 50.9 last month, just above December's 50.7. The index has been above the 50 mark that separates growth from contraction since late 2012."The January PMI data signal that the upturn in global manufacturing remained lackluster at the start of 2016," said David Hensley, director of global economic coordination at JPMorgan. ASIAN WOES China was again the epicenter of disappointment.