The Manufacturing Circle’s investment tracker showed an upward trend in 2017 after the fourth-quarter rise of three index points to 63 — the same level as in the first quarter. It jumped five index points on the same quarter in 2016, despite a dip in the third quarter, with results consistently above the neutral 50-point mark. This was mainly driven by manufacturers investing in property amid higher spending on salaries and wages. The latter is usual in the fourth quarter, as companies hire more temporary staff to meet increased demand at the end of the year. "Management teams are more positive about the future," André de Ruyter, chairman of the Manufacturing Circle and CEO of packaging maker Nampak, said on Monday. This was evidence of the "resilience of the respondents" — mostly medium to large companies, he said. More than half the index subsectors consist of groups involved in basic iron and steel, metal products and machinery, motor vehicles, motor parts and accessories, and th...
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