For the first time in 10 months (March 2011) in January, the index that measures "economic sentiment" in the Eurozone rose again, going from 92,8 points to 93,4, while in the European Union as a whole (thus taking into consideration the member countries of the EU which are not members of the Euro) the figure showed a growth of 1,2 points, from 91,6 to 92,8. This was announced by the Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Community.
The figure, as far as the Eurozone is concerned, can be explained by the strong growth of trust in services (from -2,6 to -0,6), which compensates for the deterioration of that of consumers (from -20,7 to -21,3) and the commercial sector (from -12,2 to -15,5). Confidence in construction slightly improved (from -28,9 to -28,3), while sentiment in industry remained stable (at -7,2).
The picture is quite multifaceted if we look at the trend of confidence in the various countries: in Germany the figure improved by 2,3 points and in Spain by 1,8, while in France and Italy it fell by 2,1 and 1,1 respectively. Outside the Eurozone, clear improvement especially for Great Britain (+5 points).
