Germany's service sector remained under pressure from weak demand midway through the opening quarter, resulting in a fifth successive monthly drop in business activity, according to the latest HCOB PMI® survey compiled by S&P Global. More positively, firms' expectations for activity over the year ahead improved to the highest since last April, which in turn supported a notable pick-up in the rate of job creation. The service sector meanwhile saw inflationary pressures intensify, with rates of increase in input costs and output prices reaching the highest for ten and six months respectively. The HCOB Germany ... (full story)