(European Commission) The Economic Sentiment Indicator was recorded at 105.0 in the euro area in May, a marginal gain of 0.1 points. The sentiment was down slightly by 0.5 points to 104.1 in the EU.
The decrease in economic sentiment in the EU was related to lower confidence by industry managers and, to a lesser extent, by consumers. The industry confidence fell by 1.4 points, its third straight month of deterioration, while consumer confidence was down by 0.4 point.
Service confidence rose only by 0.1 points for the second straight month. Retail trade confidence also rose by a similar margin.
Construction confidence was down 0.1 points, while the financial services confidence fell by a substantial 5.5 points.
Overall employment expectations improved, with the index gaining by 0.5 points.
Consumers still remained less upbeat about future costs, with the selling price expectations hitting an all-time high in retail trade. Price expectations in other sectors saw the first significant drop since December.
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