Finland: Economic sentiment eases in March
Economic sentiment came in at 86.5 in March, down from February’s 86.9. As a result, the index moved further below the long-term average of 100, pointing to a muted near-term outlook for the economy.
The headline print reflected weaker sentiment in the industrial sector. Similarly, sentiment in the services sector softened in March, and consumer confidence waned. More positively, sentiment in the retail sector rose in the surveyed month, as did sentiment in the construction sector.
Considering indicators that are not used to calculate the index, employment expectations weakened, while the economic uncertainty index improved in March.