Growth in Irish services activity hit a four-month high in May as the sector continued to recover from a brief slowdown in March that followed some of the worst winter weather in nearly 30 years, a survey showed on Wednesday. The Investec Services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to 59.3 from 58.4 in April. The index has remained above the 50 mark that separates growth from contraction since August 2012.
Growth in the level of new business from abroad hit a two-year high for the second month in a row, climbing to 59.5 from 59.2, with a number of panellists noting higher new orders from British clients, the report's authors said. Given its close trading links with the United Kingdom, Ireland is seen as the EU member state most at risk from Brexit. But so far the economy looks set to be the fastest growing in the bloc for a fifth year in a row. A survey published on Friday showed Irish manufacturing growth ticked up in May as the rate of new orders accelerated sharply.