The Paris Olympics have provided a boost to the eurozone economy after a sharp rise in spending as athletes and spectators descended on the French capital for the summer sporting event.
Figures from a closely watched survey of businesses showed monthly French private sector output rose to its highest level in 17 months in August.
Economists said the growth in activity, fuelled by the French service sector as millions of tourists flocked to Paris for the two-and-a-half week sporting event, bolstered the figures for the entire 27-country bloc.
The eurozone composite purchasing managers’ index (PMI), conducted by the Hamburg Commercial Bank and S&P Global, rose to 51.2 in August from 50.2 a month earlier, where anything above 50 signals growth.
However, experts warned the Olympic boost masked a disappointing performance elsewhere, amid a slowdown in activity across the eurozone led by a…
