Eurozone businesses mark best quarter in four-and-a-half years

London

EUROZONE businesses are about to mark their best quarter in four-and-a-half years but those in core economies reported a slight loss of momentum running into year-end with still no sign of inflation picking up, surveys showed on Wednesday.

The data, compiled by Markit, leave open the debate over whether the European Central Bank's (ECB) loose monetary policy will have to be made even looser still in the coming year to meet its inflation goal of close to, but just below, 2 per cent.