Austria: Economic sentiment hits highest reading since July in December
Economic sentiment came in at 83.0 in December, up from November’s 79.7. December’s result marked the strongest sentiment since July. That said, the index remained entrenched below the long-term average of 100, pointing to a downbeat near-term outlook for the economy.
The headline print reflected healthier sentiment in the construction, services and retail sectors. Moreover, consumer confidence increased in December. That said, weaker sentiment in the industrial sector capped the overall improvement.
Turning to indicators that are not used to calculate the index, employment expectations weakened, while the economic uncertainty index improved in December.