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Germany: New order growth hits 39-month high in June, but factory employment continues falling
Increased demand for German manufactured goods contributed to a rise in factory production levels across the eurozone's largest economy in June, the latest HCOB PMI® survey showed. Goods producers' purchases of raw materials and other inputs meanwhile rose for the first time in three years as expectations towards future output improved. Factory employment, on the other hand, continued to fall, with the pace of job cuts even quickening slightly. The discounting of prices remained a theme across the manufacturing sector, with latest data showing sustained declines in both input costs and factory gate charges amid ... (full story)