Finland: Economic sentiment improves in January
Economic sentiment came in at 88.6 in January, up notably from December’s 82.4. January’s result marked the strongest sentiment since May 2023. Consequently, the index remained below the long-term average of 100, pointing to a downbeat near-term outlook for the economy.
The headline print reflected improved sentiment in the industrial sector and healthier confidence in the services sector in January. Additionally, sentiment in the retail sector rose in the surveyed month, and consumer sentiment rose in January. That said, sentiment in the construction sector deteriorated.
Considering indicators that are not used to calculate the index, employment expectations improved, while the economic uncertainty index fell in January.