French business activity weaker than expected in September – flash PMI
Shipping containers sit stacked in the Port of Le Havre, France, May 9, 2019. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
PARIS, Sept 23 (Reuters) – The rate of growth in French business slowed further in September and missed market forecasts, a monthly survey showed on Thursday, as concerns over supplies of key goods weighed on the euro zone’s second-biggest economy.
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Data compiler IHS Markit said its preliminary composite Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) – factoring in both the services and manufacturing sectors – fell to 55.1 points in September from 55.9 in August, and below a forecast for 55.8 points.
Overall, the PMI figures for France remained well above the 50-point threshold dividing expansions in activity from contractions.
Nevertheless, the preliminary September…
