FX.co ★ Belgium Business Confidence Falls For Third Month

Belgium consumer confidence weakened for the third straight month in July, survey data from the National Bank of Belgium showed Monday.

The business confidence index dropped to -2.8 in July from -1.8 in June.

Except for the manufacturing industry, all sectors surveyed reported a loss of confidence in July.

The indicator for trade worsened to -16.5 in July from -10.7 in the prior month, mainly due to the weakening of the outlook for both demand and employment. .

The index measuring confidence in the building industry worsened for the third straight month to -6.3 from -4.1, entirely attributable to a more negative development of order books and equipment used.

The indicator for related business-related services also worsened in July, as the outlook for business activity fell markedly.

At the same time, manufacturing confidence improved somewhat in July, with the index rising from -3.0 to -2.6. Manufactures were especially optimistic about stock levels.