A gauge of British manufacturing activity released on Monday pointed to the sharpest contraction in nine months, as orders from domestic and foreign customers fell and ongoing supply chain disruption pushed up costs. The S&P Global manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index sank to 48.0 in November from 49.9 in October - below an earlier estimate of 48.6 and the 50 level that divides growth from contraction. S&P cited headwinds from a 25 billion pound ($32 billion) rise in employment taxes in... Read this story