Factory output ‘still robust but slower’

Firm global demand for merchandize goods still accounted for growth in Philippine manufacturing output in Janu-ary, which Moody’s Analytics estimated at 15 percent.

Such a rate of increase, however, would reflect a sharp slowdown from a 23 percent rise recorded in the Volume of Production Index (VoPI) in December 2016 and from 35.8 percent growth in January of that year.