Mumbai, Feb. 5 -- January's S&P Global PMI survey of US private service sector companies signaled a quicker expansion of business activity. Stronger growth was linked to a steeper uplift of new work, although subdued consumer confidence and ongoing uncertainty served to limit gains. Moreover, service providers reported the steepest reduction in foreign demand in just over three years, whilst sentiment regarding the outlook softened, linked in some instances by firms to tariffs and political uncertainty.
That said, capacity pressures continued to build and encouraged service providers to lift staffing levels marginally. On the price front, cost pressures remained historically elevated driven principally by tariffs and higher labor and suppl...