ASIAN FACTORIES PINCHED

MANUFACTURING activity in major Asian economies took a hit from weak export orders in August, a sign firms are starting to feel the pinch from intensifying trade friction between the United States and China that many fear could derail global growth.

Surveys of purchasing managers released on Monday showed persistent pressure on key exporting destinations China, Japan and South Korea.

In China, its vast manufacturing sector grew at the slowest pace in more than a year in August, with export orders shrinking for a fifth month. Export orders also shrank in Japan and South Korea, suggesting that increasing protectionism and concerns of slower Chinese demand are weighing on Asia's export-related economies.

Separate data showed Japanese corporate capital expenditure jumped in the second quarter by most since 2006, though some analysts warn that global trade tensions may cloud the outlook.

''The tit -for- tat tariff retaliation hurts China's economy far more than that of the United States. And when you look at Asia's economic prospects, much depend on whether China could avoid a  sharp slowdown in growth,'' said Yoshiki  Shinke, chief economist at  Dai-ichi Life Research Institute in Japan.

US President  Donald Trump 's relentless   ''America First''  trade push has hurt confidence in many countries and hammered Asian stocks, as investors fret about the hit to global supply chains.

The fear is that the escalating tariff conflict will freeze business investment and trade in a blow to global growth. [Agencies].

The Operational Research publishing continues.