Euro area manufacturing activity contracted for the tenth straight month in April with the latest fall being the biggest since May 2020 on declining production and orders, final data from S&P Global and Hamburg Commercial Bank showed Tuesday.
The HCOB factory Purchasing Managers' Index dropped to 45.8 in April from 47.3 in March. Nonetheless, the reading was slightly above the flash of 45.5.
The score has remained below the 50.0 no-change mark that separates growth from contraction for a tenth straight month. Moreover, the latest deterioration was the sharpest since May 2020, during the first wave of the COVID-19 lockdowns.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.