China April official factory PMI steady at 50.1, little growth

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SHANGHAI

Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon

(Reuters) - Activity in China's manufacturing sector barely grew in April, an official survey showed on Friday, holding slightly above the level separating expansion from contraction.

The official Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) stood at 50.1 in April, identical to the previous month's reading and above the 50-point mark that separates growth from contraction on a monthly basis.

Analysts polled by Reuters had predicted a reading of 50 as activity in the world's second-largest economy continues to cool.

(Reporting by Judy Hua and Pete Sweeney; Editing by Kim Coghill)