Investor morale in the euro zone unexpectedly fell in February as lockdowns to suppress the COVID-19 case load left their mark on the economy, which lost touch with other regions in the world as they recovered further, a survey showed on Monday.
Sentix’s index for the euro zone fell back into negative territory, dropping to -0.2 from 1.3 in January. A Reuters poll had pointed to a reading of 1.9.
An expectations index eased to 31.5 from an all-time high of 33.5 in January while the current situation index came in at -27.5, down from -26.5 in January.
“The lockdowns in many European countries are leaving their mark,” Sentix said in a statement, adding that the broader European Union was being held back by its slow COVID-19 vaccination rollout.
“As a result, the EU economy is losing touch with the other regions of the world, which are continuing their recovery course in the month of February,” it said, pointing to strength in the United States in particular.
Sentix surveyed 1,252 investors from Feb. 4 to Feb. 6.
Writing by Paul Carrel; Editing by Maria Sheahan
Source: Reuters