Private-sector activity across the euro area accelerated in August, with S&P Global’s flash composite Purchasing Managers’ Index climbing to 51.1 from 50.9 in July, the strongest reading in 15 months and above the 50 mark that separates expansion from contraction. The improvement was led by manufacturing, whose PMI advanced to 50.5, ending a three-year downturn, even as the services gauge slipped to 50.7. Survey compiler Hamburg Commercial Bank said the data point to modest but broadening growth momentum despite the headwind of steeper U.S. trade levies that took effect in April. Germany, the bloc’s largest economy, underpinned the regional pick-up. Its composite PMI rose to 50.9, a five-month high and stronger than economists’ consensus of 50.2. Manufacturing output hit 52.6, the highest since early 2022, while new orders grew at the fastest pace in more than three years. Services activity eased to 50.1 and employment continued to shrink, but Hamburg Commercial Bank chief economist Cyrus de la Rubia said the economy “is growing through the summer” and showing “resilience” in the face of U.S. tariffs and elevated borrowing costs. The flash figures follow official data showing German GDP contracted 0.1% in the second quarter, underscoring the tentative nature of the recovery.