Euro-Zone Business Activity Unexpectedly Hits Highest Since 2024

Customers on a restaurant terrace in Pirna in Saxon Switzerland, in Germany. 

Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg

Business activity in the euro area unexpectedly reached its highest level since May 2024 as outperformance by Germany helped offset weakness in France.

The Composite Purchasing Managers’ Index compiled by S&P Global increased to 52.2 in October from 51.2 in September, further above the 50 threshold separating growth from contraction. Analysts had predicted an almost unchanged reading.