(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Milano, 23 giu - In June, the eurozone's purchasing managers' index for the manufacturing sector stood at 49.4, unchanged compared to the previous month, according to preliminary data released by S&P Global and Hamburg Commercial Bank.

A reading below 50 signals contracting sector activity, while one above an expansion.

The manufacturing output component of the index fell to a three-month low of 51.0 from 51.5 in May.

In the services sector, the index inched up to a two-month high of 50.0 from 49.7 in May, while the composite output index, a weighted average of services PMI and manufacturing output, was unchanged compared to the previous month at 50.2.

'The eurozone economy is struggling to gain momentum," commented Cyrus de la Rubia, chief economist at Hamburg Commercial Bank. "For six months now, growth has been minimal, with activity in the service sector stagnating and manufacturing output rising only moderately. In Germany, there are signs of a cautious improvement in the situation, but France continues to drag its feet. The momentum evident in the official growth figure of 0.6% for the first quarter is unlikely to have carried over into the second quarter, especially since special factors such as Ireland's unusual jump in growth inflated this figure. However, there is no reason to be resigned, as the outlook has brightened according to the survey and companies are keeping employment.

roughly constant."

(RADIOCOR) 23-06-25 10:38:15 (0209) 5 NNNN