BERLIN, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The German private sector grew at a slower pace in June, but still remained strong, a closely-watched survey showed on Friday.
Markit's flash composite Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for Germany, which tracks the manufacturing and services sectors that account for more than two-thirds of the largest European economy, fell to a four-month low of 56.1 from 57.4 in May.
Markit said that despite the fall, the reading still pointed to strong growth in Germany.
"The headline output index for Germany declined for the second time in three months during June, according to the estimate, but nevertheless remained at a level indicative of strong economic growth," said Trevor Balchin, Senior Economist at IHS Markit.
"The average reading for the second quarter, at 56.7, was the highest since the second quarter of 2011," he added.
Flash Germany Services PMI Activity Index fell to a 5-month low of 53.7 from 55.4 in May.
Activity in the manufacturing sector slowed slightly, with the index falling to 59.3 from 59.5 a month earlier.
"The latest data signaled a growing performance gap between manufacturing and services," said Balchin. "The goods-producing sector continued to outperform, with the headline PMI little-changed from May's 73-month record."
IHS Markit said the June figures support its forecast of 2 percent economic growth this year for Germany.
