In April 2025, the global manufacturing sector recorded its first decline in activity since the beginning of the year. The global manufacturing index, calculated by JPMorgan, fell to 49.8 points, compared to 50.3 points in March. A value below 50 indicates a contraction in manufacturing.
This is reported by Business • Media
Analysts attribute the worsening indicators to a decrease in new orders and a reduction in employment. In particular, the index of future production volumes dropped to its lowest level since October 2022, falling by 4.5 points since Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
Additionally, the largest decline in the export orders index since March 2022 was recorded: -2.8 points, resulting in a value of 47.2. This is the worst result since August 2023.
Despite this, the finished goods price index rose to its highest level since March 2023, although purchasing prices remain stable.
Artificial Intelligence and Economic Growth
Research by PricewaterhouseCoopers indicates that the implementation of artificial intelligence could accelerate global economic growth by 15 percentage points by 2035. This means that the annual growth rate of global GDP could increase by 1 percentage point.
However, in an environment of low trust and limited interaction, additional economic growth driven by artificial intelligence may slow to 8%, and according to the most conservative estimates, only to 1%.