French business activity fell in September for the first time since June as the service sector kept losing momentum in the face of concerns about rising COVID-19 infection rates, a survey showed on Monday. Data compiler IHS Markit said its purchasing managers index, covering the services and manufacturing sectors, fell to 48.5 from 51.6 in August, unchanged from a preliminary reading. The index dropped below the 50-point threshold dividing an expansion in activity from a contraction for the first time since June, after France emerged from a nearly two-month coronavirus lockdown the previous month. IHS Markit’s PMI index for the services sector also fell into contraction territory at 47.5. Already published data […]