Eurozone Manufacturing Contraction Eases in July

The S&P Global Eurozone Manufacturing PMI fell to 51.6 in May 2026, down from April’s near four-year high of 52.2 but slightly above the preliminary estimate of 51.4. While the sector expanded for a fourth consecutive month, growth is faltering under the strain of soaring prices and supply chain disruptions tied to the Middle East conflict. A notable outlier was the suppliers’ delivery times index, which, despite signaling the worst delays since June 2022, positively contributed to the headline PMI, as longer lead times historically correlate with higher manufacturing activity. However, new orders stagnated, production growth slowed, and input prices and output charges surged to four-year and three-and-a-half-year highs, respectively. Employment continued to decline, and business optimism remained subdued.

The S&P Global Eurozone Manufacturing PMI fell to 51.4 in May 2026 from 52.2 in April, missing market expectations of 51.8, preliminary data showed. The reading marked the softest expansion in private sector activity in three months, as new orders declined and the Middle East war-related demand boost from stock-building and efforts to preempt price hikes and supply shortages faded. Manufacturing employment also decreased solidly, while production continued to increase slightly, extending the current sequence of growth to five months, and purchasing activity rose for the third month running. On the price front, both input costs and output charges rose sharply. Finally, manufacturing sentiment improved slightly.

The S&P Global Eurozone Manufacturing PMI climbed to 52.2 in April 2026, its highest in nearly four years, up from 51.6 in March and matching initial estimates. Factory output rose the most since August, driven by improving demand, as new orders grew at the fastest pace in four years and export orders increased for the first time in over four years. Front-loaded purchasing, linked to expectations of higher prices amid war-related energy and supply shocks, supported sales. Firms boosted input buying to the highest level since mid-2022, straining supply chains and lengthening delivery times to their worst since July 2022. Inventory levels declined but at a slower pace, while employment continued to fall despite rising backlogs, extending nearly three years of job cuts. Cost pressures intensified sharply, with input inflation reaching a 46-month high and output prices rising at the fastest rate in 39 months. Meanwhile, business confidence weakened to its lowest since November 2024.