The euro zone's manufacturing sector contracted for the seventh straight month in February, with factories in the bloc's struggling indebted states facing some of the toughest conditions on record, a business survey showed on Thursday. Markit's Eurozone Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to 49.0 last month from January's 48.8, in line with a flash reading but has now been below the 50 mark that divides growth from contraction since July. "Whether the euro zone will sink back into recession in the first quarter remains highly uncertain. The periphery remains the major concern," said Chris ... (full story)