Austria: Economic sentiment hits one-year high in February
Economic sentiment came in at 88.2 in February, up from January’s 86.9. February’s result marked the strongest sentiment since April 2023. Despite the uptick, 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 less downbeat sentiment in the construction and retail sectors. Moreover, confidence in the services sector returned, while consumer sentiment improved in February. Meanwhile, sentiment in the industrial sector languished in the surveyed month.
Referring to indicators that are not used to calculate the index, employment expectations improved, while the economic uncertainty index fell in February.