Eurozone businesses begin year in best shape for over a decade

London

EUROZONE businesses began 2018 by increasing activity faster than at any time in well over a decade as new orders surged despite firms raising prices at the steepest rate in almost seven years, a survey showed.

The eurozone emerged as one of the best-performing major economies last year. Forward-looking indicators in the survey suggest that momentum will continue for at least another few months - welcome news for the European Central Bank (ECB) as it moves to unwind policy.