The upturn in the eurozone manufacturing sector gathered further pace at the end of the first quarter. Rates of expansion in production and new orders accelerated to near six-year highs, as companies saw stronger inflows of new work from domestic and export clients.

The final Markit Eurozone Manufacturing PMI rose to a 71-month record of 56.2 in March, up from 55.4 in February and unchanged from the earlier flash estimate. The average PMI reading over the first quarter as a whole (55.6) was the highest since the opening quarter of 2011