The euro area economy expanded at its slowest rate for four months during September, according to the final IHS Markit Eurozone PMI Composite Output Index. Posting 54.1, the headline index was down on August's 54.5 and slightly lower than the earlier flash estimate of 54.2. September's increase in activity, which marked the sixty-third successive month of growth, masked divergent trends between the manufacturing and services economies. Whilst there was an upturn in growth in the service sector to a three-month high, manufacturing recorded its slowest rise in output since May 2016.