Overview
- S&P Global’s April reports, released Monday, showed the euro area PMI at 52.2 as firms built safety stocks and optimism fell to a 17‑month low.
- Manufacturers reported input costs jumping to a euro area index reading of 77.0 and selling prices rising at the fastest pace since January 2023, with delivery times the worst since July 2022.
- Germany’s PMI eased to 51.4 and business expectations turned negative for the first time since October 2024, while Spain rose to 51.7 on client stockpiles and Italy’s cost gauge hit 75.4, the highest since May 2022.
- Outside Europe, India’s PMI rose to 54.7 with growth still near a four‑year low as costs surged and exports improved, and Russia’s factory index fell to 48.1 for an 11th straight month with the sharpest job cuts in four years.
- The mix of stronger headline readings and hotter price data could complicate rate decisions, as euro area factories also kept cutting jobs even with backlogs and longer lead times.