Brussels, 09/01/2002 (Agence Europe) - The business climate indicator fell slightly in the Euro-zone in December from -1.20 in November to -1.23. According to these figures published by the European Commission, they show a relative stabilisation in the level of confidence of industrial firms. The fall was -0.07 points in November (revised figures) following the unprecedented dive of -0.58 in October in the wake of the attacks on 11 September in the USA. The Commission claimed that, "This relative stabilisation is encouraging" but it would be premature to conclude that there is any clear sign of the future direction of the confidence of industrial firms across the Euro area. The Business climate indicator has been constantly falling since June 2000 from its peak of +1.78. The level of the indicator in December 2001 is comparable to that registered in May 1996 (-1.17).