Euro area: Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), services

Definition: The services Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) is an indicator of economic health for the services sector. The purpose of the PMI is to provide information about current business conditions to company decision makers, analysts and purchasing managers. Each country PMI survey for the services sector is based on questionnaire responses that cover the following economic variables: business activity, new business, backlogs of work, prices charged, input prices, employment, expectations for activity. The services PMI is a number from 0 to 100. A PMI above 50 represents an expansion when compared with the previous month. A PMI reading under 50 represents a contraction, and a reading at 50 indicates no change.