(Updated with UK survey results)
Feb 1 (Reuters) – Key final results from Markit’s surveys of manufacturing purchasing managers in Europe, released on Tuesday:
* EUROZONE – ACTIVITY ON THE RISE, TENSIONS DECREASE
LONDON – Growth in manufacturing activity in the euro zone picked up in January as supply chains eased, but the improvement is more or less noticeable across countries and manufacturers remain exposed to inflationary pressures, estimates IHS Markit.
The PMI manufacturing index rose to 58.7 after 58.0 in December, very slightly below the “flash” estimate published at the end of January, which gave it at 59.0.
“Eurozone industrialists appear to be weathering the Omicron storm better than previous waves of COVID-19, with companies reporting the strongest improvement in production and order books in four months,” said Chris Williamson, chief executive. IHS Markit economist.
The index measuring production, which enters into the calculation of the composite PMI expected on Thursday and considered a good barometer of overall growth, reached 55.4 after 53.8.
That of prices paid by manufacturers rose at the same time to 72.7 after 70.2.
* GERMANY – FIRST GROWTH ACCELERATION IN 6 MONTHS
BERLIN – Growth in German manufacturing activity accelerated in January for the first time in six months as tensions in supply chains ebbed, the survey’s final results show.
The sector’s PMI rose to 59.8 from 57.4 in December; it is slightly lower than the first estimate which gave it at 60.5.
IHS Markit specifies that the delays mentioned by purchasing managers are at their lowest for 13 months, a sign that the bottlenecks are tending to be reduced, and that the rise in prices paid by manufacturers has returned to its lowest level. for nine months.
“Germany’s manufacturing sector has started 2022 on the right foot with PMI showing a long-awaited turnaround in performance after the slowdown that dominated the second half of last year,” said Phil Smith, Associate Chief Economics Officer at IHS. markit.
* FRANCE – SLIGHT SLOWDOWN CONFIRMED IN JANUARY
PARIS – Growth in the French industrial sector slowed slightly in January, in line with the first results of the survey.
The PMI manufacturing index fell to 55.5, unchanged from the “flash” estimate, after 55.6 in December.
IHS Markit clarifies that the purchasing managers interviewed continue to raise problems with delays in delivery but adds that the tensions in the supply chains are tending to decrease, and adds that the isolation of employees with COVID -19 disrupted production.
“Producer prices rose at an unprecedented and alarming rate in January,” added the research firm, which does not rule out an anchoring of inflation at this level.
* ITALY – GROWTH SLOWS A LITTLE
ROME – Growth in Italy’s manufacturing sector was less buoyant than expected in January and returned to its lowest level in almost a year.
The PMI index fell to 58.3 from 62.0 in December and a record high of 62.8 in November. The Reuters consensus gave it 61.0.
The new orders sub-index fell even more sharply, to 57.5 from 63.0.
* SPAIN – STABILITY OF ACTIVITY IN INDUSTRY
MADRID – Activity in Spain’s manufacturing sector remained stable in January despite continued tensions in supply chains and prices.
The sector PMI is unchanged from December at 56.2 and therefore remains below its November level (57.1).
The confidence of the purchasing managers surveyed has reached its highest level in four years thanks to hopes for an improvement in the health situation.
* UNITED KINGDOM – HIGHEST GROWTH IN SIX MONTHS
LONDON — Output in Britain’s industrial sector hit its fastest pace in six months in January as companies took advantage of easing bottlenecks, final results from the IHS Markit survey show.
The PMI manufacturing index fell to 57.3 after 57.9 in December and against 56.9 in the first estimate, the result of a slowdown in new orders and an improvement in delivery times. But the production sub-index rose to 54.5, the highest since July, after 53.6 in December and 53.8 in the “flash” estimate.
Recruitment in the sector has at the same time reached its highest rate for 11 years and the companies questioned evoke a reduction in inflationary tensions, specifies IHS Markit.
(Reuters European offices, Marc Angrand for the French version, edited by Blandine Hénault)