Global business activity showed signs of slowdown in August -PMIs

Global business activity largely slowed further last month as services firms struggled in the face of weak demand as rising prices and borrowing costs made indebted consumer rein in spending, a raft of surveys showed on Tuesday. In Britain, outside the European Union, its survey showed the sharpest business slowdown in seven months. Asia's surveys for August were also more downbeat with China's services activity expanding at the slowest pace in eight months as weak demand continued to dog the world's second-largest economy while in India growth lost some steam.