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Downturn in German output eases slightly in October, but job cuts deepen and firms’ pricing power wanes
Conditions continued to worsen across Germany’s private sector at the start of the fourth quarter, with businesses reporting further decreases in output and employment amid a backdrop of weak underlying demand, according to the latest HCOB ‘flash’ PMI® survey compiled by S&P Global. But whereas output fell at a slightly slower rate in October, the decline in employment continued to gather pace to show the steepest drop in workforce numbers for nearly four-and-a-half years. Business expectations picked up after turning negative for the first time in a year in September, but the degree of optimism ... (full story)