Spain’s manufacturing sector stabilises in February after contraction
#Spain manufacturing #PMI index #Export demand #Business confidence #Economic indicators #Input prices #Trade tariffs #Employment trends
📌 Key Takeaways
- Spain's manufacturing PMI rose to 50.0 in February, indicating stabilization after contraction
- New orders continued declining at a slower pace, with export demand impacted by US tariffs
- Employment fell for sixth consecutive month while input prices reached 13-month high
- Business expectations remained optimistic with plans for expansion into new markets
📖 Full Retelling
Spain's manufacturing sector stabilized in February 2026 after two consecutive months of contraction, according to the HCOB Spain Manufacturing PMI released on Monday, with the headline index rising to 50.0 from January's nine-month low of 49.2, as manufacturers faced ongoing challenges from competitive pressures, client uncertainty, US tariffs, and unfavorable exchange rates. The stabilization came as production levels remained broadly stable during February, though order books declined for the third consecutive month, with the rate of decline in new orders softening compared to January when the sector experienced its greatest fall since last April. Spanish manufacturers cited competitive pressures, client uncertainty, and delayed decision-making as factors constraining sales, while export demand continued to weigh on the sector despite the slowdown in the rate of decrease in export orders. Employment fell for the sixth consecutive month in February, though the pace of job losses was the lowest in three months, as companies refrained from replacing departing staff due to lower production requirements. Input prices rose steeply, reaching a 13-month high, driven by higher costs for aluminum, brass, copper, iron, steel, and increased transport fees, leading manufacturers to raise output charges for the first time since August 2025, though the increase remained marginal due to competitive pressures.
🏷️ Themes
Economic Stabilization, Manufacturing Performance, International Trade Impact, Business Outlook
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Economic indicator
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try{ var _=i o; . if(!_||_&&typeof _==="object"&&_.expiry Oil prices surge after U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran; crude around $80/bbl likely Futures drop, oil spikes amid widening Mideast conflict - what’s moving markets Gold prices jump 2% amid widening US-Israel conflict with Iran Asia stocks slide as US-Iran strikes batter risk appetite (South Africa Philippines Nigeria) Spain’s manufacturing sector stabilises in February after contraction By Investing.com Editor Maria Ponnezhath Economic Indicators Editor Maria Ponnezhath Published 03/02/2026, 04:41 AM Spain’s manufacturing sector stabilises in February after contraction 0 Investing.com -- Spain’s manufacturing sector stabilised in February after two consecutive months of contraction, according to the HCOB Spain Manufacturing PMI released Monday. The headline index rose to 50.0 from January’s nine-month low of 49.2, indicating neither growth nor decline in manufacturing conditions. Production levels remained broadly stable during the month, whilst order books declined for the third consecutive month. However, the rate of decline in new orders softened compared to January, when the sector suffered its greatest fall since last April. Spanish manufacturers cited competitive pressures, client uncertainty and delayed decision making as factors constraining sales. Export demand continued to weigh on the sector, with companies reporting adverse impacts from US tariffs and unfavourable exchange rates. The rate of decrease in export orders slowed from the previous month. Outstanding business declined for the fourth month running as work was partially directed towards completing backlogs. Employment fell for the sixth consecutive month, though the pace of job losses was the lowest in three months. Companies refrained from replacing departing staff due to lower production requirements. Purchases of inputs fell for the third successive month in February, though the reduction was the weakest in this sequence. Stocks of finished...
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