Germany's manufacturing sector continued to grow strongly at the start of the fourth quarter, according to the latest PMI survey data from IHS Markit and BME. Production and new orders rose sharply in October, and goods producers upped the rate of job creation to the fastest since April 2011 in order to support the higher level of activity. Supply chain pressures further intensified, however, with the incidence of delivery delays among the most widespread on record and manufacturers facing sharply rising purchase prices.

October's PMI reading was 60.6, unchanged on September's 77-month high. The intermediate and investment goods sectors were again the best performers, with the consumer goods category continuing to lag behind.