Euro zone decline eases

The decline in the euro zone's private sector eased a little this month, but a recession still looks inevitable with the region's periphery struggling badly, a key business survey showed on Thursday.

The decline in the euro zone's private sector eased a little this month, but a recession still looks inevitable with the region's periphery struggling badly, a key business survey showed on Thursday.

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Survey compiler, Markit's euro zone composite purchasing managers' index (PMI), which measures the activity of thousands of euro zone companies, rose for a second month in December to 47.9 from 47.0, confounding expectations for a fall to 46.5. But the preliminary reading lingered below the 50 mark that divides growth and contraction for a fourth month. Markit said France and Germany were responsible for the improved figure.