Eurozone retailers recorded a rise in like-for-like sales for the fifth time in as many months during August. Growth was driven to a large extent by a marked expansion in Germany. The increase in France, meanwhile, was only fractional and sales in Italy continued to fall. The headline IHS Markit Eurozone Retail PMI® – which tracks the month-on-month changes in like-forlike retail sales in the bloc‟s biggest three economies combined – fell to 50.8 in August, from 51.0 in July. The latest reading highlighted the weakest rate of growth in the current five-month period of expansion. Sales remained down on an annual basis. ... (full story)