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Euro area developments
The deterioration of euro-area sentiment was driven by lower confidence in industry and, to a lesser extent, in services and among consumers, while confidence improved in retail trade and, particularly, construction. The ESI decreased in all of the largest euro-area economies, most so in Germany (-2.9), followed by Italy, the Netherlands (both -1.5), France (-1.0) and Spain (-0.6).
EU developments
The marginally smaller decline of the EU ESI (−1.5) was mainly due to more upbeat sentiment in Poland (+1.9) and the UK (+0.6). Compared to the euro area, confidence in industry and services eased less, booked smaller increases in construction and deteriorated in retail trade. EU consumer and financial services confidence developed in line with the euro area. Employment expectations differed in so far as they remained broadly flat in services, improved in retail trade and grew to a lesser extent in construction. Price expectations followed euro-area trends.