following a brief acceleration in november economic growth in the eurozone eased to a ninemonth low in december resuming a slowdown trend amid a resurgence of coronavirus infections ihs markit said wednesday the eurozone composite purchasing managers index fell to 533 in december from 554 in november signaling the softest expansion in combined manufacturing and services output since march the direction of growth differed by sector with a slowdown in the eurozones services sector to blame for a weaker improvement at the composite level ihs markit said the spread of the omicron variant had a particularly profound impact on the services sector reflecting renewed hesitancy among customers due to the novel strain of the virus ihs markits senior economist joe hayes said the eurozone services pmi fell to 531 in december from 559 in november depressing to its lowest level since april survey data for prices showed still substantial inflationary pressures at the end of 2021 ihs markit said output charges and input costs increased at the secondsharpest rates on record surpassed only by those seen in november although there was a marginal easing of price pressures we are still in excessively hot territory mr hayes said mr hayes said that as the eurozone deals with the latest developments in the pandemic risks to the economy are now greater because tighter restrictions to curb the spread of covid19 are more likely than they have been recently