Belgium: Economic sentiment increases in March
Economic sentiment rose to 95.1 in March from February’s 94.5. As a result, the index remained below the long-term average of 100, pointing to a muted near-term outlook for the economy.
The headline print reflected stronger sentiment in the industrial sector. Moreover, consumer confidence increased in March. However, confidence in the services and construction sector softened in March, whereas sentiment in the retail sector deteriorated in the surveyed month.
Considering indicators that are not used to calculate the index, employment expectations deteriorated, while the economic uncertainty index fell in March.