Netherlands: Business sentiment eases in September
Dutch manufacturers became less upbeat in September, with the confidence index dropping from 3.9 in August to 3.3 in September and reaching the joint-lowest reading since November 2016. However, confidence levels remained above the long-term average of 1.0 over the past 20 years.
September’s moderation in sentiment was mainly driven by a worsening outlook on stocks of finished goods, as the majority of manufacturers consider their inventory levels to be too high. This offset more optimism regarding order books and unchanged views on business expectations. The majority of goods-producers expect production to pick up in the next three months.