• Output expands at marked and accelerated pace, but demand falters
  • Headcounts fall for the second month running
  • Output charge inflation quickens to near-record high

Data were collected 12-23 September 2022.

Doha, Qatar: – The latest Purchasing Managers’ Index™ (PMI™) survey data from Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) continued to indicate growth in the non-oil private sector at the end of the third quarter. The rate of expansion in total activity gained momentum with output rising markedly in September. New orders fell for the first time in 27 months, however, while back-to-back contractions were seen in employment and inventories. Nevertheless, the fast-approaching FIFA World Cup supported optimism with sentiment improving to a 12-month high.

On the price front, a fall in purchase costs contrasted with higher wage expenses, leading to only a marginal increase in overall input prices. Meanwhile, firms sought to boost profits by hiking their selling prices at a near-record rate.

The Qatar PMI indices are compiled from survey responses from a panel of around 450 private sector companies. The panel covers the manufacturing, construction, wholesale, retail, and services sectors, and reflects the structure of the non-energy economy according to official national accounts data.

The headline Qatar Financial Centre PMI is a composite single-figure indicator of non-energy private sector performance. It is derived from indicators for new orders, output, employment, suppliers’ delivery times and stocks of purchases.

At 50.7 in September, down from 53.7 in August the latest PMI pointed to a softer improvement in business conditions in Qatar's non-energy sector.

Central to the moderation was a renewed decline in new orders. The fall was broad-based with all monitored sectors registering lower sales, led by construction. Panel comments indicated that client projects were placed on hold due to the upcoming World Cup.

Despite weaker demand, firms sought to boost their output in September. Business activity increased for the twenty-seventh month running with the latest uptick marked. Moreover, the rate of output growth was quicker than the long-run series average amid expectations of greater activity in the coming months.

Firms continued purchasing inputs at the end of the quarter, albeit at a softer pace. Inventory holdings meanwhile fell fractionally.

Overall input price inflation rose only marginally, and at a pace that was below than the long-run series average. Despite this, firms hiked their selling prices at the second-quickest rate in the survey’s history with comments indicating a greater emphasis on their profit margins.

Headcounts were also cut amid cost saving efforts, but a fall in backlogs suggested spare capacity persisted in the non-oil economy.

Vendor performance improved in September with lead times now shortening in each of the last five months.

Looking ahead, the FIFA World Cup continued to underpin optimism with firms hopeful that greater tourist activity in the coming months would support output growth. In fact, sentiment improved the highest for a year.

QFC Qatar PMI™ vs. GDP

 

Strong business growth continues in Qatar's financial sector

  • Activity and new orders expand for the fifteenth month in a row
  • Back-to-back decline in headcounts
  • Firms remain upbeat about growth expectations

The latest PMI data on Qatar's financial services sector signalled further marked improvement during September. Business activity increased sharply, but the rate of growth eased slightly from August. New orders, meanwhile, rose only slightly, and at the softest pace for 15 months.

At the same time, Qatari financial service firms cut their headcounts for the second month in a row, but the rate of decline was only mild.

On the price front, overall input prices fell, albeit only fractionally. Meanwhile, selling prices rose only slightly.

Businesses remained optimistic of activity growth in the year-ahead with sentiment firmly in positive territory, despite easing notably from that seen in August.

Comment

Yousuf Mohamed Al-Jaida, Chief Executive Officer, QFC Authority:

"Qatar's non-oil economy continued to grow in September, rounding off another solid quarterly performance. There were, however, divergences in latest data with a sharp and substantial increase in output contrasting with a renewed fall in demand. Anecdotal evidence suggested clients were placing orders on hold in preparation of the World Cup while Qatari businesses were at the same time increasing output in anticipation of greater demand.

"With demand retreating, firms cut their headcounts in September. Panel comments suggested that Qatari firms were placing more emphasis on their profit margins which was further highlighted in prices data where despite a marginal uptick in overall input costs, firms hiked their selling charges at the second-quickest rate in the survey's history. This will serve firms well as demand temporarily falters.”

-Ends-

ABOUT THE QATAR FINANCIAL CENTRE

The Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) is an onshore business and financial centre located in Doha, providing an excellent platform for firms to do business in Qatar and the region. The QFC offers its own legal, regulatory, tax and business environment, which allows up to 100% foreign ownership, 100% repatriation of profits, and charges a competitive rate of 10% corporate tax on locally sourced profits.

The QFC welcomes a broad range of financial and non-financial services firms.

For more information about the permitted activities and the benefits of setting up in the QFC, please visit qfc.qa 

MEDIA CONTACTS
QFC: Nadine Assi, Marketing & Corporate Communications Department, n.assi@qfc.qa

ENQUIRIES ABOUT THE REPORT
QFC: qatarpmi@qfc.qa

ABOUT S&P GLOBAL

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ABOUT PMI

Purchasing Managers’ Index™ (PMI™) surveys are now available for over 40 countries and for key regions including the Eurozone. They are the most closely watched business surveys in the world, favoured by central banks, financial markets and business decision makers for their ability to provide up-to-date, accurate and often unique monthly indicators of economic trends.

https://ihsmarkit.com/products/pmi.html.

METHODOLOGY

The Qatar Financial Centre PMI™ is compiled by S&P Global from responses to questionnaires sent to purchasing managers in a panel of around 450 private sector companies. The panel is stratified by detailed sector and company workforce size, based on contributions to GDP. The sectors covered by the survey include manufacturing, construction, wholesale, retail and services.

Survey responses are collected in the second half of each month and indicate the direction of change compared to the previous month. A diffusion index is calculated for each survey variable. The index is the sum of the percentage of ‘higher’ responses and half the percentage of ‘unchanged’ responses. The indices vary between 0 and 100, with a reading above 50 indicating an overall increase compared to the previous month, and below 50 an overall decrease. The indices are then seasonally adjusted.

The headline figure is the Purchasing Managers’ Index™ (PMI). The PMI is a weighted average of the following five indices: New Orders (30%), Output (25%), Employment (20%), Suppliers’ Delivery Times (15%) and Stocks of Purchases (10%). For the PMI calculation the Suppliers’ Delivery Times Index is inverted so that it moves in a comparable direction to the other indices.

Underlying survey data are not revised after publication, but seasonal adjustment factors may be revised from time to time as appropriate which will affect the seasonally adjusted data series.

Data were collected 12-23 September 2022.

For further information on the PMI survey methodology, please contact economics@ihsmarkit.com.

CONTACT
S&P Global: Sabrina Mayeen
E. Sabrina.mayeen@spglobal.com