Euro zone manufacturing remained subdued in December, according to data out on Friday, marking an end to a year of widespread concerns about the health of the currency union’s economy.
The widely-followed Markit Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) came in at 50.6 this month, slightly below a flash estimate of 50.8, but above November’s 16-month low of 50.1. A figure over 50 marks expansion in the sector.
In a release accompanying the data, Markit said industry remained “near-stagnant”.
“Euro zone factory activity more or less stagnated again in December, rounding off a year which saw an initial, promising-looking upturn fade away and stall in the second half of the year,” Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit, said in a note.
“The weakness of factory output, combined with the subdued service sector growth signalled by the flash PMI, suggests the eurozone economy grew by just 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter.”
via CNBC
Content is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc. or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. If you would like to reproduce or redistribute any of the content found on MarketPulse, an award winning forex, commodities and global indices analysis and news site service produced by OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc., please access the RSS feed or contact us at info@marketpulse.com. Visit https://www.marketpulse.com/ to find out more about the beat of the global markets. © 2023 OANDA Business Information & Services Inc.