EZ consumer sentiment climbs to three-month high

Economic sentiment in the eurozone showed signs of improvement with a closely watched survey showing businesses were becoming more upbeat about future prospects.

The sentiment index increased to a three-month high of 96.3 in March 2024, marking an uptick from February's revised figure of 95.5.

"Just as the mood couldn’t get more downbeat about European competitiveness, the economy is starting to show more green shoots in terms of economic activity," said ING senior eurozone economist Bert Colijn.

"Of course, structural and cyclical factors are very different, but the current mood may be overstating Europe’s economic misery a bit. After a long period of economic stagnation following the energy crisis, the eurozone economy is expected to see growth pick up over the coming quarters."

"All in all, the eurozone economy seems to be showing more signs of an imminent pickup in growth. Nothing spectacular, but an end to stagnation is in the making nonetheless. With inflation expectations getting more benign for services, it looks like the ECB can contribute to a more favourable environment with rate cuts starting in June."

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com