China's factory activity shrank in April as new orders dropped on stagnated demand, according to a private survey conducted by financial information service provider Markit and sponsored by Caixin Media. China's official sources put the figure at 50.1, 0.1 lower than the previous month.

The Caixin/Markit Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' index fell to 49.4 last month, below market expectations of 49.9 and recoiling slightly from March's 49.7.The index has been below the 50-point neutral level which marks expansion in activity from contraction since March 2015. The compiler says new export orders shrank for the fifth straight month, and roughly at the same rate as in March, while total new orders from home and abroad were unchanged.