The contraction in private sector activity in the Eurozone worsens in March, with the composite PMI slipped to 46,5 points from 47,9 in February, against an expected improvement to 48,2 points. This decline, the second in a row, is also the sharpest recorded in the last 4 months, indicating a clear acceleration in the rate of contraction in activity, the second in a row and the sharpest ever recorded in the last 4 months. The composite index was at 47,9 in February.
France saw the largest contraction in activity since 2009, with the index losing a clear point, going from 43,1 points in February to 42,1 points. The German decline was also very marked: the composite PMI index of Germany, while remaining beyond the threshold of 50 points, fell from 53,3 points in the previous month to 51 in March.
