By KUNA,
PARIS : The business climate in European nations continued to deteriorate in March but at a slower pace than in February, although the outlook is still bleak for European business, Frances National Statistics Institute (INSEE) said in a report Tuesday.
Some improvement was noted in Belgium, and there was relative stability in France and Germany, but the business climate in Spain and Holland worsened, the report said.
Business leaders opinions of the current situation are more pessimistic than a month ago, even if the decline was slower from February to March than from January to February.
Forecasts for future production seem to be slightly more upbeat in the latest report but “on the other hand order books, both global and foreign, are still not being filled up (and) stocks of finished goods are increasing once again.” At the same time, industrial leaders see that sale prices for goods are going to continue to fall because of the lag in demand and orders.
Meanwhile, household confidence is broadly lower in the 16-nation Euro zone, with the exception of France, where it is stable and Spain and Belgium, where confidence is slightly improved since February. (End) jk.bz.
KUNA 071326 Apr 09NNNN