FX.co ★ Dutch Business Confidence Turns Negative Again

Business confidence in Dutch industry fell back into negative territory in February 2026, declining to -1.1 after a brief positive reading of 0.8 in January. Expectations for future activity weakened notably, with the relevant indicator dropping to 7.0 from 12.7. Assessments of order positions also deteriorated, slipping to -6.5 from -5.4. In contrast, views on stocks of finished products improved slightly to -3.9 from -4.8, pointing to somewhat reduced inventory pressures.

At the sector level, sentiment remained negative across several branches. Confidence in the food and beverage industry turned pessimistic, falling to -3.5 from 0.6. Confidence also stayed below zero in the paper and graphic industries, refineries and chemicals, and basic metals, with the latter showing a sharp deterioration to -5.5 from 0.1. The textile, clothing, and leather sector remained in contractionary territory but showed an improvement, rising to -7.0 from -10.4. Meanwhile, confidence in transportation equipment slipped into negative territory, at -1.3 versus 0.0 in the previous month.

In contrast, several sectors maintained or moved into positive territory. Confidence in wood and building materials turned positive, increasing to 1.1 from -1.1. Sentiment in electrical engineering and machinery strengthened further to 5.9 from 5.3. Other industry and repair also remained optimistic overall, though confidence softened to 1.6 from 6.0.