BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany’s private sector recorded its strongest growth in nearly two-and-a-half years in October, buoyed by a robust rise in services activity, a survey showed on Friday.

The HCOB preliminary German flash composite Purchasing Managers’ Index, compiled by S&P Global, rose to 53.8 in October from 52.0 in September, marking the fastest growth since May 2023 and surpassing analysts’ expectations of 51.5.

October marks the fifth month in a row that the composite index, which tracks the services and manufacturing sectors that together account for more than two-thirds of the euro zone’s largest economy, was above the 50 mark indicating growth.

Services led the charge with the sharpest increase in business activity in more than two years, with the corresponding index climbing

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