China's manufacturing index slipped in November reflecting the growing weakness in the world's second largest economy.
Two separate surveys published on Monday triggered a new set of concerns from experts who think the People's Bank of China should introduce more regulations to steer away from a hard market crash.
The Slide
China's official Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) fell to 50.3, an eight-month low and was 0.05 points down from October's 50.8 reading.
The final HSBC/Markit China Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) was unchanged at the six-month low of 50.0 but the figure is estimated to be the breakeven point - which separates expansion and contraction - for China's economy.
While the official survey focuses on the performance of large, government-owned factories, the HSBC survey analyzes growth among the smaller and private manufacturers. Both surveys showed a slide.
Weak demand from overseas clients has put a damper on the manufacturing industry. Domestic demand exceeded foreign demand and new export orders also decreased.
"The PMI data suggests that fundamentals are still very weak. Investment in property and manufacturing remains weak, so the government is the only one spending. And when government spending wanes in the winter months, the economy falls off," Larry Hu, an economist at Macquarie Group told MarketWatch, referring to the fact that construction projects usually take a hit during the winters.
Failed Attempt?
The People's Bank of China recently lowered its lending rate by 40 base points. The cut came as a surprise to many because the government was reluctant to admit that the economy was shrinking. But that didn't seem to work for the country.
"The PBOC's rate cut appears to have failed to improve sentiment, and we see little improvement in activity indicators in November," ANZ wrote in a research note, according to Reuters.
What to Expect
Going forward, experts believe that the Chinese government will introduce more stimuli to help revive the economy.
"In order to maintain growth for the whole year at around 7.5 percent (the official target), we believe that Chinese authorities will intensify easing efforts in December to accelerate growth momentum," ANZ's research note read.
Barclays predicts two more benchmark cuts in interest rates in the first half of 2015 and three cuts in the reserve ratio deposits, the first one of which is expected this month.
"Given China's structural challenges, we continue to believe more rate cuts are necessary. We believe that lowering rates will mainly help to reduce the debt burden, lower financial risks, support business sentiment, and sustain private demand," Jian Chang of Barclays wrote in a note to CNBC.
Some experts suggest the government must cut taxes to boost the economy.
