(European Commission) The Economic Sentiment Indicator overcame three months of decline in the EU to post an index of 112.8 in February, up 1.2 points.
The ESI in the EU reflected growing confidence in services, retail trade and construction, while confidence in industry remained unchanged.
The ESI rose the most in Spain at +2.4, followed by France and Germany at a 1.9 gain and 1.2 increase, respectively. The sentiment weakened in the Netherlands and Poland.
In the euro area, the sentiment indicator improved by 1.3 points to 114.0 in February.
The employment expectations also rose, with the indicator hitting an all-time high of 115.8 in the EU in February, after a gain of 2.4 points. In the euro area, the indicator rose to the highest since May 2000 of 116.2, up by 2.6 points.
The Economic Uncertainty Indicator fell for the first time in six months by -2.0 points to 15.1
The rising sentiment happens amid surging selling price expectations, with the readings in February at a record rate in services, industry, and retail trade.
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