Belgium: Consumer confidence recovers somewhat in September; business confidence rises to seven-month high
The consumer confidence indicator produced by the National Bank of Belgium (NBB) climbed from minus 3.0 points in August to 0.0 points in September. The increase was mainly driven by consumers’ reduced pessimism over the general economic situation in 12 months’ time as well as their improved outlook of the labor market in the year ahead. Households’ views over their financial situation and savings capacity remained unchanged from the previous month.
Similarly, the NBB’s business confidence indicator rose from minus 0.3 points in August to 1.2 points in September, a seven-month high. The improvement came on the back of greater optimism in the manufacturing, building and business-related services sectors, which more than offset a deterioration in sentiment in the trade industry.