The Italian services sector grew in December at the fastest pace in more than five and a half years.
The index compiled by Markit/ADACI for companies active in the sector jumped last month to 55,3 from 53,4 in November, well beyond analysts' expectations and even beyond the threshold of 50 that separates growth from contraction.
A Reuters poll of seven analysts converged for a reading of 53,6.
Firms reported that new orders grew at the fastest pace since June 2014, pushing the sub-index that monitors them up to 55,4 from 54,9 in November.
“The PMI data show that the recovery of the Italian economy accelerated in the last quarter of the year,” explains Markit economist Phil Smith.
The composite PMI rose to 56,0 in December from 54,3 in November, the highest since February 2011.
