BERLIN (Reuters) – The sentiment of investors in the euro zone has deteriorated since the beginning of the month against all expectations, a first since October, the results of the monthly survey by the Sentix institute showed on Monday.
The Sentix confidence index stood at -11.1 points this month against -8.0 in February, while analysts polled by Reuters had expected -6.3.
The sub-index measuring investor expectations fell back to -13.0 in March from -6.0 in February after months of gradual improvement.
That on their current situation, on the other hand, continued to recover for the fifth consecutive month, going from -10.0 to -9.3, but it remains in negative territory, a sign that the economy is, at best, in a phase of stagnation.
“This phase of stagnation could soon turn into renewed fears of recession if negative economic expectations materialize,” Sentix chief executive Manfred Hübner was quoted in a statement as saying.
“Money supply growth remains weak and, coupled with rising interest rates, this is expected to weigh heavily on the economy over the course of the year,” he added.
The Sentix Institute surveyed 1,309 investors between March 2 and March 4.
(Report Miranda Murray; Claude Chendjou, edited by Bertrand Boucey)
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