South Africa’s seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) dropped to 47.3 in June 2026 from 50.8 in May, signaling renewed contraction in factory activity after two consecutive months of growth.This mainly reflected weaker demand, which weighed on new orders.Clients reportedly placed…
Retail sales in Cyprus rose 7.5% year-on-year in May 2026, accelerating from 2.9% in April and marking the strongest growth in four months.Clothing and footwear recorded the largest increase, with sales surging 19.4% after a 3.8% rise in April.Growth also strengthened for food in specialised stores…
The inflation rate in Croatia rose 4.5% year-on-year in June 2026, easing from 5.2% in the previous month and marking the lowest reading since February, according to a preliminary estimate.Prices for non-food industrial goods excluding energy fell 0.6%.Meanwhile, energy costs climbed 13.2%, continu…
Croatia’s registered unemployment rate fell to 3.4% in May 2026 from 3.8% in April, reaching the lowest level since records began in December 1996.The number of unemployed persons declined 9.2% from the previous month to 61.3 thousand, while total employment rose 2.2% to 1.740 million.The labor for…
Eurozone consumer price inflation dropped to 2.8% in June 2026, down from 3.2% in May and below market expectations of 3.0%, according to preliminary data.This marks the lowest rate since February, before the Iran war disrupted energy supplies and pushed oil prices higher, though it remains above t…
The pound opened the third quarter at $1.32, near a seven-month low, after a 1.4% drop against the US dollar in June, driven by political uncertainty, a stronger dollar, and the Bank of England’s dovish stance.Investors are closely following the ECB’s Sintra Forum for insights into economic outlook…
The Stanbic IBTC Bank Nigeria PMI eased to 53.4 in June 2026 from 54.1 in May, but remained well above the 50-point threshold.The pace of growth in output and new orders softened from the previous month, while manufacturing was the only broad sector to record a decline in business activity.Despite…
The annual inflation rate in Uganda accelerated to 3.7% in June 2026 from 3.2% in the prior month, marking the highest level since September 2025.Upward pressure came from several categories, particularly transportation (8.8% vs 6.7% in May); food & non-alcoholic beverages (2.6% vs 1.8%); education…
The S&P Global UK Manufacturing PMI posted 52.5 in June, down from May's four-year high of 53.9 and the earlier flash estimate of 53.1.Factory production accelerated to a 21-month high, driven by robust domestic sales and export gains from China, the US, and the EU, though growth opportunities in t…
The S&P Global Eurozone Manufacturing PMI declined to 51.4 in June 2026 from 51.6 in May, broadly aligning with the preliminary estimate of 51.3.Despite the slight slowdown, the sector has now remained in expansion territory for a fifth consecutive month, rounding off the strongest calendar quarter…
UK natural gas prices rose further to 105.7 pence a therm on the first day of July, the highest in more than two weeks, as traders awaited developments in US–Iran talks.President Donald Trump’s envoys arrived in Doha on Tuesday, although Qatari mediators tempered expectations for a major breakthrou…
Methanol decreased to 2382.00 CNY/T, the lowest since March 2026.Over the past 4 weeks, Methanol lost 19.9%, and in the last 12 months, it increased 1.37%.
The S&P Global Germany Manufacturing PMI was revised higher to 50.3 in June 2026 from a preliminary of 50, pointing to small growth in factory activity, compared to 50.1 in the previous month.There was a modest rise in output that was supported by a slight uptick in demand, while goods producers we…
Germany’s 10-year Bund yields climbed above 2.9%, rebounding from a four-month low and following US Treasury yields higher.This came after the latest JOLTS report revealed job openings at a two-year high, while analysts anticipate another strong June non-farm payrolls report, reinforcing expectatio…
The S&P Global Greece Manufacturing PMI rose to 53.8 in June 2026 from 53.3 in May, signaling the strongest improvement in the health of the goods-producing sector since March.Total new orders increased at the fastest pace in three months, with companies citing a broader pickup in demand, while som…
The euro entered the third quarter of 2026 at $1.14, close to a one-year low and following a 2% drop against the USD in June.Investors are closely watching the ECB’s Sintra Forum and inflation updates from Europe’s major economies, while the dollar remains supported by expectations that the US Fede…
Switzerland’s procure.ch–UBS Manufacturing PMI fell to 54.3 in June 2026 from a near four-year high of 57.3 in the previous month, coming in below market expectations of 56.5.While the reading remained comfortably above the 50-point threshold that separates expansion from contraction, it marked the…
Austria’s unemployment rate edged up to 6.9% in June 2026 from 6.8% in the corresponding month a year ago.The total number of unemployed persons rose by 6,912 year-on-year to 295,457.Among them, the female unemployment rate went up by 0.3 percentage points to 6.9%, with the number of unemployed wom…
The S&P Global Italy Manufacturing PMI fell to 52.2 in June 2026, down from 52.9 in May, missing market forecasts of 52.6.While the reading still indicates expansion, marking one of the strongest performances in over four years, the pace of growth in output, new orders, and employment has softened…
The FTSE MIB fell to around 51,400 on Wednesday, snapping a recent rally after posting robust quarterly gains and tracking losses across its European peers.Markets assessed signs that US-Iran talks had stalled after Tehran said it would not hold meetings with US officials.Attention also shifted to…
