Ireland fut coins remained at the top of the PMI league table in February, registering above the 50.0 mark for the twelfth month running. Germany also reported a slight rate of expansion, halting an 11-month sequence of decline.
Downturns remained marked in Italy, France, Spain and Greece, with France and Greece occupying the bottom two positions in the PMI league table. The contractions signalled by the Netherlands and Austria PMIs were only modest.
Manufacturing production and new orders continued to contract during the latest survey period, although the rates of decline were less marked than signalled by the earlier flash estimates.