Factories around the world continued to report low levels of output and fresh layoffs as governments moved gingerly to lift restrictions imposed to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, but the figures offer some hope that manufacturing is at the start of a slow path to recovery.
Surveys of purchasing managers at manufacturers in Asia and Europe indicated that in most countries, the decline in activity slowed from the record fall seen in April. Only in China did factories report an increase in activity, but the surveys…
