A key index measuring economic output in the eurozone rose to 52.1 in December, a three-month high and close to the 27-month peak registered in September, dpa reported. Markit's purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the currency bloc's manufacturing and service sectors had slipped to 51.7 points in November, the London-based research group said Monday. Markit said the upturn in the PMI resulted in the best quarter for two-and-a-half years and marked "a reversal of the easing in the rate of growth seen over the prior two months." A PMI reading of more than 50 signals economic expansion.
