Netherlands: Business confidence falls to multi-year low in January
Business confidence among Dutch manufacturers fell from 2.9 in December to 2.5 in January, marking the lowest level since August 2016. However, the index remained above the long-term average of 1.0 and the neutral zero-threshold that separates business optimism from pessimism.
The drop in January came primarily on the back of less rosy views on order books. Views on expected output in the next three months improved, while assessments on stocks of finished goods were virtually unchanged from the prior month. Meanwhile, the capacity utilization rate dropped to its lowest level in three years.