Non-bank financial services ends year in top spot
The final batch of global sector PMI" data from Markit for 2014 signalled that other financials led the growth rankings in December. The sector, which includes consumer financial services, investment services and speciality financials, also registered the strongest expansion over the fourth quarter as a whole - as it had also done in the third quarter.
Beverages and food producers occupied the other podium places in December, with the next best manufacturing sector being construction materials (ninth).
Only two sectors registered falling activity in December, namely media and real estate. The former has been among the bottom-ranked sectors throughout 2014, while real estate's latest position represents a stark turnaround from top spot back in July.
Commercial & professional services ranked tenth in December, its lowest position since March (having been among the top two rankings from July through to October).
Winners and losers
Group performance in 2014
When aggregating the detailed sectors into eight broad groups, technology registered the strongest trend rate of expansion in 2014, and ranked among the top two places in eight months of the year. In contrast, basic materials has been in the bottom two places since March, having been as high as third in January. Healthcare was the second-strongest growing sector over the year on average, despite a blip in September, just ahead of financials and industrials.
Sector groups in 2014
Trevor Balchin | Economics Director, IHS Markit
Tel: +44 149 1461065
trevor.balchin@ihsmarkit.com