Press Release: May 2012: Economic sentiment falls sharply in both the EU and the euro area

The Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) decreased sharply in May, falling by 2.7 points in the EU and by 2.3 points in the euro area, to 90.5 and 90.6, respectively. In both zones the decline was driven by falling confidence in all business sectors, especially in industry and retail trade. By contrast, confidence increased among consumers in both the EU and the euro area.