France September Manufacturing PMI Slows to 50.6 but Beats Preliminary Estimate

France's manufacturing sector growth slowed in September as the final Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) printed at 50.6. The reading beat the preliminary estimate of 50.3 but retreated from August's 51.1, remaining slightly above the 50.0 threshold separating expansion from contraction. Factory production recorded back-to-back monthly expansions for the first time since early in the year, even as new order inflows contracted for a fifth straight month. Meanwhile, price pressures built as rates of inflation for both input costs and output prices accelerated for the first time since May, presenting a challenging backdrop for European Central Bank policymakers.