Brussels, 30/01/2012 (Agence Europe) - In January 2012, the economic sentiment indicator increased by 1.2 points in the EU and by 0.6 points in the eurozone, to 92.8 and 93.4 points respectively. The confidence indicators of managers and consumers therefore increased slightly in January, putting an end to ten consecutive months of drop. This positive development, the Commission explains, is mainly due to increased confidence in the services sector (+2.9 in the EU and +2.0 in the eurozone) and, to a lesser extent, to returning consumer confidence (+1.2 in the eurozone) and in the construction sector. Economic sentiment improved in Germany (+2.3) and in Spain (+1.8), but fell in France (-2.1), in Italy (-1.1) and the Netherlands (-1.0). Economic sentiment increased in the United Kingdom (+5.0) and in Poland (+2.7). This indicator is above its long-term average in Germany alone.
The business climate indicator in the eurozone (entrepreneurs' morale), for its part, has risen for the second month in a row: it stands at -0.21 points, compared to -0.32 points in December. This improvement can be explained by a more positive evaluation of production trends observed in recent months and order books for export. (LC/transl.fl)