Sweden: Economic sentiment rises to six-month high in August
Latest reading: Economic sentiment rose to 96.6 in August from July’s 95.1. August’s result marked the best reading since February. Consequently, the index remained below the long-term average of 100, pointing to a muted near-term outlook for the economy.
The headline print reflected improved sentiment in both the industrial and construction sectors. Moreover, confidence in the retail sector increased in the surveyed month. Conversely, confidence in the services sector cooled and consumer sentiment weakened in August.
Considering indicators that are not used to calculate the index, employment expectations were healthier, while the economic uncertainty index increased in August.