Czech Republic: Economic sentiment dips to lowest level since October 2014
The economic sentiment indicator, published by the Czech Statistical Office (CSO), decreased from 95.6 in August to 94.6 in September, thus marking the worst reading in almost five years.
The business confidence index slipped to 92.9 in September, contrasting August’s upswing to 93.6. The print reflected weaker sentiment in the trade and services sectors. Confidence in the industrial and construction sectors, meanwhile, remained unchanged.
Moreover, consumers turned less optimistic in September, with the consumer confidence index dropping to 103.3 from 105.1 in the previous month. The fall was mainly due to households’ more pessimistic outlook over the economic situation ahead. That said, consumer confidence still remains well above the historical average.