Mumbai, April 23 -- Germany's private sector slipped back into contraction in April, according to the latest HCOB 'flash' PMI survey, as tariff concerns and uncertainty weighed on business confidence and demand. Firms' growth expectations sank to their lowest in six months and the labour market remained under pressure, albeit with employment falling only fractionally and at the slowest pace in almost a year.
Elsewhere, latest data showed a first rise in manufacturing output prices in almost two years, which in turn led to a slight uptick in the rate of inflation in average charges for goods and services. Manufacturing input prices, on the other hand, posted a sharp and accelerated decline, contrasting with still-strong cost inflation in th...