Europe

摘要

Once again, most of the survey evidence emerging from the Eurozone points to healthy, even robust, growth. Business confidence continues to rise and according to the Purchasing Managers' Index for March, the service sector is growing at the fastest rate since September 2000 - a period when annual GDP growth was well above 3%. Manufacturers are similarly upbeat as output and new orders flow in. There is even evidence that firms are finding less resistance to price rises - the readings led the firm compiling the PMI survey to predict GDP growth of 0.7% on the quarter in 2006Q1.