Euro area private sector contracted for the first time in nearly one-and-a--half years as the ongoing war in the Middle East acted as a drag on services activity, final results of the purchasing managers' survey by S&P Global showed on Wednesday.
The composite output index fell to 48.8 in April from 50.7 in the previous month. The reading was moderately above the flash estimate of 48.6.
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May 01, 2026 15:54 ET Central banks dominated the economics news flow this week with almost all major ones announcing their latest policy decisions and many boosted expectations for a rate hike in June. In other news, several countries released the preliminary data for first quarter economic growth. In the U.S., comments by Fed Chair Jerome Powell were also in focus as his term ends this month.