Belgium: Economic sentiment drops to over one-year low in December
Latest reading: Economic sentiment dropped to 88.7 in December, down from November’s 93.7. December’s result marked the weakest sentiment since October 2023. As a result, the index fell further below the long-term average of 100, pointing to a muted near-term outlook for the economy.
The headline print reflected declining sentiment in the retail, industrial and construction sectors. Moreover, confidence in the services sector and among consumers deteriorated.
Regarding indicators that are not used to calculate the index, employment expectations deteriorated, while the economic uncertainty index fell in December.