Follow Us

Follow us on Twitter  Follow us on LinkedIn
 

30 August 2018

August 2018: Economic Sentiment slightly down in the euro area, stable in the EU


In August, the Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) decreased slightly in the euro area (by 0.5 points to 111.6), while it remained stable in the EU (at 112.3).

Euro area developments

The decrease in the euro-area sentiment indicator resulted from a marked deterioration of confidence among consumers and a milder decrease in the services sector, which were only partly offset by increases in the retail trade and construction sectors. Confidence in the industry sector remained broadly stable. Amongst the largest euro-area economies, the ESI remained virtually unchanged in Germany (-0.1), while it decreased in France (-1.3), Italy (-0.8), Spain (-0.7) and the Netherlands (-0.5).

EU developments

Stable sentiment in the EU (+0.0) resulted from the marked improvement of sentiment in the largest non-euro area EU economy, the UK (+1.5), while the ESI decreased significantly in Poland (-1.3). Changes at sector level were in line with those in the euro area, but the decreases registered in services and among consumers were somewhat less pronounced and the improvement in the retail sector was more marked. EU confidence in the financial services sector fell in line with the euro area, but the drop was sharper.

Full press release



© European Commission


< Next Previous >
Key
 Hover over the blue highlighted text to view the acronym meaning
Hover over these icons for more information



Add new comment