The Spanish manufacturing sector remained in contraction in August as output, new orders and employment all continued to decrease. Input prices rose for the first time in three months, but firms continued to lower their output prices. Meanwhile, ongoing falls in production requirements led to a further drop in purchasing activity. The seasonally adjusted Markit Purchasing Managers’ Index ® (PMI ® ) – a composite indicator designed to measure the performance of the manufacturing economy – remained well below the 50.0 no-change mark, posting 44.0. That said, the index rose from 42.3 in the previous month, and pointed ... (full story)