Growth was maintained in the Spanish manufacturing sector during August as new orders increased at a sharper pace than in July. As a result, firms continued to raise their staffing levels. Output prices decr eased for the first time in four months, with panellists commenting on the use of discounting in order to help secure sales. T he seasonal ly adjusted Markit Purchasing Managers’ Index ® (PMI ® ) – a composite indicator designed to measure the performance of the manufacturing economy – posted 52.8 in August, thereby signalling a solid monthly improvement in the health of the sector. That said, the reading was ... (full story)