The downturn in the German economy showed signs of easing midway through the fourth quarter as business activity fell at the slowest rate for four months, according to November’s HCOB ‘flash’ PMI® survey compiled by S&P Global. Employment across the euro area’s largest economy meanwhile remained in decline, with the rate of job losses accelerating slightly but still only modest. Expectations towards future activity were subdued, although they did improve slightly to the highest since June. On the price front, November saw faster increases in both input costs and output charges, with inflationary pressure ... (full story)