Asia's factories took a tumble in February under the weight of the rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak, with a severe plunge in activity in China driving down output across the region.
South Korea and Japan, where confirmed cases of the virus have accelerated recently, showed sharp declines in production, according to purchasing manager surveys released by IHS Markit on Monday.
South Korea's purchasing manager's index, a critical bellwether of global demand, dropped to a four-month low of 48.7 from 49.8 in January, while the Jibun Bank Japan index declined to 47.8, the lowest reading since May 2016.