Eurozone confidence sneaks up despite ongoing fall in lending
SENTIMENT about the Eurozone’s economies improved again during February, staying in positive territory for another month, according to a survey by the European Commission.
The index edged slightly higher, up to 101.2, with any figure over 100 marking the long-term average level. In January, it stood at 101.
The currency union’s business climate indicator also indicated slightly raised confidence this month, with a score of 0.37, up 0.12 points from January. The index typically runs in close correlation with industrial production in the Eurozone.
However, money supply and credit figures released by the European Central Bank (ECB) suggested that conditions in the region are still far from adequate. The M3 measure of the money supply rose by 1.2 per cent in the year to January, far lower than the bank’s previous suggested level of 4.5 per cent. Loans to the private sector also dropped by 2.2 per cent during the period.
“While the Eurozone activity data has continued to show some improvement, the combination of very low inflation, the strong euro and falling liquidity in the banking sector has maintained pressure on the ECB to provide further policy support,” said Jonathan Loynes of Capital Economics, indicating that further monetary policy action might be on the cards.
The Spanish government also announced GDP for the fourth quarter yesterday, posting growth of 0.2 per cent, very slightly lower than expectations.