Markit's Eurozone Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) was at 53.2 points in December this year, up from November’s 52.8 points and increasing compared to the earlier flash estimate of 53.1 points. The euro zone manufacturing PMI has risen to its highest level since April 2014.
The euro zone manufacturing sector continued to make solid progress at the end of 2015, as rates of growth in production, new orders and new export business all improved. Although input costs and output charges fell again, trends in both provided further evidence of deflationary pressures easing.
“The sector is likely to make a meaningful positive contribution to the euro zone GDP numbers for quarter four. Survey data indicates that manufacturing growth over 2015 as a whole averaged above those achieved in each of the previous three years,” stated Rob Dobson, senior economist at Markit.