Overview
- Euro zone services PMI, finalized Wednesday, fell to 47.6 to a 62‑month low, dragging the composite index to 48.8 as consumer‑facing activity weakened.
- Euro area manufacturing rose to 52.2 as firms built safety stocks due to Middle East war disruptions, with supplier delays the worst since 2022 and selling prices rising at multi‑year highs.
- Germany showed a split picture as factories held at 51.4 on front‑loaded orders but business expectations turned negative, while services dropped to 46.9 with the fastest decline in more than three years and higher output charges.
- India’s manufacturing PMI climbed to 54.7 on stronger export orders, though overall growth stayed near a multi‑year low as input costs hit their highest since August 2022 and producers raised fees.
- Spain mirrored the pattern with factory activity back to growth at 51.7 on client stockbuilding, while services contracted to 47.9, and policymakers face a tougher trade‑off as inflation accelerates; PMI readings above 50 signal expansion and below 50 signal contraction.