Belgian business confidence improved for a third consecutive month in July, driven in particular by renewed optimism in business services, according to the National Bank of Belgium’s latest barometer published on Friday.
The indicator measuring entrepreneurs’ confidence had fallen to its lowest level in a year in April, at -14.2.
Since then, sentiment has gradually recovered, with the index rising to -11.9 in July.
In business services, expectations for activity and demand strengthened, pointing to a clearer improvement in confidence.
Confidence in the construction sector slipped slightly, by contrast, compared with previous months.
Business conditions in the manufacturing industry remained largely stable.
Meanwhile, in trade the optimism seen last month was somewhat dampened by a marked deterioration in demand prospects, the National Bank said.
