Services PMI: March 2015

Services sector growth eased marginally due to rise in input costs during March, but new business orders showed improvement and staffing levels of the companies also increased.
The HSBC India Services Business Activity Index, which tracks changes in activity at Indian service companies on a monthly basis, eased to 53 in March from 53.9 in February , indicative of a moderate rate of expansion that was slightly weaker than in the prior month. A score above 50 indicates expansion.
Input prices faced by services firms rose further in March.The rate of cost inflation was solid and the strongest since June 2014. “
Markit Economist Pollyanna De Lima said, “Despite softening slightly since February , growth of activity and new business in the country's dominant sector was robust.“He further said that India's service sector ended the first three months of 2015 with a strong performance, providing signals that much of the weakness seen in 2014 has been left behind.