Netherlands: Economic sentiment improves in December
Latest reading: Economic sentiment rose to 100.4 in December, following November’s 99.9. The reading remained comfortably above both the EU and euro area averages and stepped above the long-term average of 100, pointing to a positive near-term outlook for the economy.
In December, sentiment improved in the industrial sector (-1.2 vs -2.4 in November) and the construction sector (+24.7 vs +19.0 in November). The latter reached a record high, boosted by stronger profits and well-filled order books. However, sentiment worsened in the services sector (+4.8 vs +5.6 in November), the retail sector (+3.0 vs +5.5 in November) and among consumers (-9.8 vs -8.3 in November).