By contrast, Asia's index fell to a three-month low as purchasing activity weakened in China's consumer non- cyclicals sector, although the region's weakness was predominantly across Japan and Taiwan. Europe also deteriorated, with Germany's basic materials sector faltering and UK manufacturing plunging deeper into contraction. The index here (-0.90) signaled one of the steepest declines since 2024. "So far tariffs have neither spurred growth nor triggered collapse," said Michael DuVall, GEP's global head o ...