Euro-area manufacturing rises to 3-month high

Bloomberg

Euro-zone factory activity rose to a three-month high last month, though job losses continued as the sector remained stuck in a slump.
The Purchasing Managers’ Index for the 19-nation euro region rose slightly to 46.9 in November as confidence improved and a drop in new orders slowed.
The reading was up from a preliminary 46.6 but still below the 50 mark that divides contraction from expansion. Job losses were sustained for a seventh month.
“The survey data for the fourth quarter so far are indicating a quarterly rate of contraction in excess of 1% for manufacturing,” said Chris Williamson, chief business economist at IHS Markit. The PMI “nonetheless brings some encouraging signals which will fuel speculation that the worst is over for euro area producers, barring any new set-backs — notably in relation to Brexit and trade wars.”