一项衡量中国制造业活动的关键指标在2月份出现下滑，延续了1月份的下降势头并创下七个月新低，这预示中国这一全球第二大经济体将进一步走软。
A key gauge of China's factory activity lost ground in February, extending a January drop and falling to a seven-month low, signaling further weakness in the world's No. 2 economy.
周四该数据公布后不久，亚洲市场一度躁动不安，但分析人士提醒道，春节假日的时间等季节性因素很可能对制造业数据产生了影响。
The data unnerved Asian markets shortly after its release on Thursday, though analysts cautioned that seasonal factors such as the timing of the Lunar New Year holiday probably played a role in the result.
汇丰控股有限公司(HSBC Holdings PLC, 简称：汇丰控股)周四公布，2月份汇丰中国制造业采购经理人指数(PMI)初值为48.3，低于1月份的49.5。
The preliminary HSBC China Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index, a gauge of nationwide manufacturing activity, fell to 48.3 in February from 49.5 in January, HSBC Holdings PLC said Thursday.
该指数高于50表明制造业活动较前月扩张，低于50则表明制造业活动萎缩。
A reading above 50 indicates expansion from the previous month, while a reading below 50 indicates contraction.
2月份制造业数据延续了1月份的黯淡表现。1月份中国官方制造业PMI和汇丰制造业PMI均有所下滑，其中汇丰PMI还显示制造业萎缩。
The reading follows similarly glum results from January. Both the official and the HSBC manufacturing PMI readings lost ground then, with the HSBC index showing contraction.
经济学家们说，最新制造业数据可能表明去年年末制造业的下滑势头延续至今年，这强化了人们对于今年国内生产总值(GDP)增幅可能低于去年的7.7%的看法。去年第四季度中国经济增速也有所回落，从第三季度的7.8%降至7.7%，主要受国内需求疲软以及全球经济仍在复苏当中的共同影响。
Economists said the result likely indicates a slowdown in the final part of last year is continuing into this year, reinforcing the view that this year's growth in gross domestic product will likely trail last year's 7.7%. China's economic growth slowed in the final quarter of last year, also to 7.7%, from 7.8% in the third quarter, amid a combination of weak domestic demand and a still- recovering global economy.
花旗集团(Citigroup)经济学家丁爽说，中国经济持续面临下行压力，未来两个季度经济增速将进一步回落至7%。
'There is continued downward pressure on the economy,' said Ding Shuang, an economist at Citigroup. 'Economic growth will continue to decline to 7% over the next two quarters.'
野村(Nomura)经济学家张智威说：“我们仍认为中国的经济复苏不可持续，今年第一和第二季度GDP同比增幅将分别回落至7.5%和7.1%，尽管基数效应有利。”
'We reiterate our view that the recovery in China is not sustainable and that GDP growth will slow to 7.5% year-over-year in the first quarter and 7.1% in the second quarter, despite favorable base effects,' said Zhiwei Zhang, an economist at Nomura.
中国经济的低迷表现对市场构成冲击。上述制造业数据公布后不久，澳元一度从0.9004美元跌至0.8957美元。澳大利亚是中国经济增长所需资源的主要供应国。香港股指跌1.6%。
The weakness in China's economy hit markets. The Australian dollar weakened to $0.8957 from $0.9004 shortly after the data announcement. Australia is a major supplier of resources to fuel China's economic growth. Hong Kong's benchmark stock index was down 1.6%.
汇丰称，所有PMI分类指数均显示中国制造业疲软，其中新订单、新出口订单和就业分类指数均有下滑。
All of the subindexes of the PMI showed weakness, with new orders, new export orders and employment declining, according to HSBC.
汇丰制造业PMI预览指数是根据每月采购经理人问卷反馈总样本量的85%-90%为依据编制的，于PMI终值发布前一周左右公布。
The preliminary PMI figure, also called the HSBC Flash China PMI, is based on 85% to 90% of total responses to HSBC's PMI survey each month, and is issued about one week before the final PMI reading.