By Joshua Kirby
Confidence among Belgian businesses stayed at much the same level in August as the previous month, with some sectors seeing improved sentiment and others deteriorating.
The business confidence index decreased very slightly to minus 14.9 from minus 14.8 in July, data from the National Bank of Belgium showed Friday. The reading stabilized after more severe declines in previous months.
Confidence improved in trade but deteriorated in the building industry, the national bank said, pointing to firms’ lower demand expectations and weakening order books. In the manufacturing industry, confidence was largely flat compared with the previous month, as it was in business services.
The continued gloomy outlook among Belgian firms reflects signs of weaker activity across the eurozone. Business activity slumped in the bloc, and notably in powerhouse Germany, according to purchasing managers’ indices for August published earlier this week.
Write to Joshua Kirby at [email protected]; @joshualeokirby
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