Netherlands: Business confidence ticks up but remains deeply pessimistic in May
Business confidence improved somewhat in May but remained firmly entrenched in pessimistic territory, with the confidence index rising to minus 25.1 from the all-time low of minus 28.7 in April. The uptick in confidence reflected less downbeat views on business expectations, likely influenced by the government’s gradual easing of restrictive measures. Nonetheless, the headline figure came in markedly below the long-term average of 0.6 over the past 20 years, boding poorly for fixed investment in the second quarter.
Business confidence improved somewhat in May but remained firmly entrenched in pessimistic territory, with the confidence index rising to minus 25.1 from the all-time low of minus 28.7 in April. The uptick in confidence reflected less downbeat views on business expectations, likely influenced by the government’s gradual easing of restrictive measures. Nonetheless, the headline figure came in markedly below the long-term average of 0.6 over the past 20 years, boding poorly for fixed investment in the second quarter.