The European Central Bank’s increasingly desperate battle to prevent the eurozone from sliding into deflation suffered a fresh setback in October, as businesses cut their prices at the fastest rate since early 2010. Some of Europe’s biggest companies have been roiled by weak pricing power, noting that as one factor that has contributed to generally weak profits in recent earnings statements. Those reports were given substance by a survey of 5,000 manufacturers and services providers across the eurozone conducted by data firm Markit. On the surface, that survey offered some rare good news for the currency area, with ... (full story)