Netherlands: Business confidence picks up in November
Business confidence rose to minus 3.8 in November from October’s minus 5.6. November’s result marked the best performance since March. Consequently, the index moved closer to the 0-threshold, but still indicated pessimism among businesses.
The uptick was driven by less pessimistic views on order books and business expectations. Moreover, views on stocks of finished goods turned slightly less positive. In addition, firms expect less output in the three months ahead. This is likely influenced by the second wave of Covid-19 and related containment measures in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe.