Dhaka, Aug. 9 -- Bangladesh's economy expanded at its fastest pace in months in July, with the Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) climbing 4.9 points from June to reach 57.8, driven by a sharp rebound in manufacturing activity, according to a report released on Sunday.

The Bangladesh PMI, jointly compiled by the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), Dhaka, and Policy Exchange Bangladesh (PEB), showed three of the four key sectors in expansion during July, with manufacturing posting the strongest performance at 65.4, followed by services at 56.0 and agriculture at 55.2. Construction remained marginally in contraction at 49.3, though it improved by 9.1 points from the previous month.

The index, developed with support from th...