03 Oct 2024. That's according to the latest S&P Purchasing Managers Index, with a reading of 53.8. We crunch those numbers with economist, Ed Bell of Emirates NBD. Plus, with travel disruption across the region, we speak to aviation expert Vinamra Longani about the logistics and costs of cancelled flights. And, there's a massive port workers strike in the US - what could that mean for us? We speak to the editor of Ship and Bunker.