By Commodity News Service Canada

WINNIPEG, March 1 – The following is a glance at the news moving markets globally.

TWO PRIVATE INDEXES INDICATE CHINA SLOW-DOWN
China’s Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI), which is an indicator of factory activity, fell to 49.0 in February, compared with 49.4 in January, according to reports on Monday.

The Caixin-sponsored PMI, which focuses on smaller businesses, fell to a five-month low of 48.0 in February.

SOUTH AFRICA’S GROWTH SLOWS
South Africa’s economy grew at an annualized rate of 0.6 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2015, according to reports on Tuesday.

Growth was down from the 0.7 per cent seen in the previous quarter. Analysts drought is impacting the agricultural sector.

CANADA’S GDP GAINS AT A SLOWER RATE
Expressed at an annualized rate, Canada’s real GDP rose 0.8 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2015, after increasing 2.4 per cent in the third quarter. By comparison, real GDP in the United States advanced one per cent, Statistics Canada said in a report on Tuesday.