Press Release: November 2012: Economic sentiment increases in both the EU and the euro area

In November the Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) increased by 2.0 points in the EU, to 88.1, and by 1.4 points in the euro area, to 85.7. The upswing follows a deceleration in the ESI's downturn since September. The industrial investment survey, however, hints at stagnating real investment in 2013, casting some doubts on these first signals of a recovery.

While EU sentiment improved across all sectors, except for construction, where it remained unchanged, the euro area registered increases in industry and retail trade, which were partly offset by decreases among consumers, in construction, and a virtually unchanged level in services.