MANUFACTURING in the United States and Europe accelerated in December but growth in China and India slowed to more sustainable levels.
Powerhouses Germany and France continued to lead the 17-nation single currency zone's industrial recovery.
But output also grew faster in much of the area's smaller economies -- where debt concerns continued to drive financial markets on the first trading day of 2011 -- as export orders revived following steady declines in the value of the euro. The Markit Eurozone PMI, which records manufacturing activity across the major euro-area economies, rose to 57.1 in December, revised higher from a preliminary reading of 56.8.