In March 2024, the Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) in Croatia improved, reflecting industry confidence, according to the European Commission's monthly survey on Wednesday.

The ESI in Croatia rose by 2.9 points in March compared to February to 112.7 points.

Industry confidence grew most strongly in the expectation of significantly higher production in the coming months and a significantly improved assessment of export orders and plans for higher employment. The index of industry expectations rose by 5.4 points compared to February.

Confidence among consumers and the construction industry improved by 2.5 and 2.4 points respectively. Consumers assessed their financial situation over the past 12 months better in March than in February and were more optimistic about the next 12 months.

Confidence in the service and retail sectors also rose, by 1.6 and 1.1 points respectively.

The Employment Expectations Indicator (EEI) fell by almost 4.6 points, while the Economic Uncertainty Indicator (EUI) rose by 1.2 points.

Slight improvement in the Eurozone

In March 2024, the ESI in the Eurozone rose by 0.8 points to 96.3 points.

Confidence in the retail sector rose by 0.7 points, while consumer and industrial confidence increased by 0.6 points.

Confidence in the services sector rose by 0.3%, while confidence in the construction sector remained stable.

The EEI in the eurozone grew by just 0.1 points, while the EUI fell by 1.1 points.

Of the largest economies in the eurozone, the ESI improved the most in France (+2.6), followed by Italy (+1.5). In Germany, the ESI rose by 0.9 points. Spain was the only major economy in the eurozone where the ESI deteriorated (-0.4 points).