Full Order Books: PMI Rises to 61.2
The German manufacturing recovery gathered momentum in July, as highlighted by a rise in the seasonally adjusted Markit/BME Germany Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) to 61.2, from 58.4 in the previous month. The index has now posted above the neutral 50.0 level for ten successive months. Moreover, the latest reading was the highest for three months and signalled the second-sharpest improvement in operating conditions since the series began in April 1996. Read more
Input Costs Rising in December 2009
Output levels in the German manufacturing sector continued to rise at a robust rate in December, extending the current period of expansion to six months. New order volumes also increased, albeit at a slower rate, leading to a further accumulation of unfinished work. An ongoing recovery in client demand resulted in slower job shedding at the end of 2009, with the latest drop in workforce numbers the weakest for fourteen months. However, margins were squeezed in December as price discounting continued, while input costs rose for the first time since October 2008. Read more
