BEIJING (Reuters) -- China's manufacturing activity unexpectedly contracted in January, an official factory survey showed on Monday, its weakest since August, keeping alive calls for stimulus in the world's second-largest economy.
The official purchasing managers' index (PMI) contracted to 49.1 in January from 50.1 in December, below the 50-mark separating growth from contraction and missing a median forecast of 50.1 in a Reuters poll.
