India’s manufacturing activity fell to an eight-month low of 56.5 in September, in comparison to 57.5 in August, highlighting a robust improvement in the health of the sector that was nonetheless the weakest since January, data released by S&P Global on Tuesday showed. With manufacturing growth softening throughout the second fiscal quarter, the average PMI reading slipped to its lowest since the three months to December 2023, it said. Pranjul Bhandari, Chief India Economist at HSBC, said, “Momentum in India’s manufacturing sector softened in September from the very strong growth in the summer months.”