Netherlands: Business confidence falls to over two-year low in June
Business confidence came in at 1.0 in June, down from May’s 2.1. June’s result marked the weakest reading since February 2021. Despite the downtick, the index remained above the 0-threshold, indicating optimism among businesses.
Manufacturers became less optimistic about their order books and output expectations for the next three months. They were also more pessimistic regarding their stocks of finished goods. Looking at specific sectors, confidence in the electrotechnical and machinery industry rose and remained the highest, ahead of transport equipment producers, whose confidence weakened significantly during the month. Meanwhile, timber and building materials producers remained the most pessimistic, followed by paper and printing industry producers. Moreover, petroleum producers’ pessimism increased significantly during the month.