Eurozone investor morale rises in October on brighter expectations

INVESTOR morale in the eurozone unexpectedly rose in October after three consecutive months of decline, boosted by rising expectations even as dissatisfaction with the current situation hit a new low this year, a survey showed on Monday (Oct 7).

The Sentix index for the eurozone rose to -13.8 in October from -15.4 in September, beating the forecast from analysts polled by Reuters of a decline to -15.9 this month.

The survey of 1,150 investors from Oct 3 to Oct 5 showed that expectations were on the rise, at -3.8 points this month from -8 in September, with the European Central Bank’s rate cuts, and stimulus recently provided in China cited for the increase.

The current situation score for the currency union, on the other hand, dropped for a fourth month in a row to its lowest level this year, to -23.3 in October from -22.5 last month.

“The downward economic trend has been halted for the time being,” Sentix said. “The eurozone economy is thus starting its next attempt to find its way out of recession/stagnation.”

Investor morale in Germany, Europe’s largest economy, also rose this month for the first time since June, increasing to -31.5 from -34.7 in September, as expectations were up despite its current situation index remaining close to this year’s lows. REUTERS