Belgium consumer confidence weakened for the third straight month in July, survey data from the National Bank of Belgium showed Monday.
The business confidence index dropped to -2.8 in July from -1.8 in June.
Except for the manufacturing industry, all sectors surveyed reported a loss of confidence in July.
The indicator for trade worsened to -16.5 in July from -10.7 in the prior month, mainly due to the weakening of the outlook for both demand and employment. .
The index measuring confidence in the building industry worsened for the third straight month to -6.3 from -4.1, entirely attributable to a more negative development of order books and equipment used.
The indicator for related business-related services also worsened in July, as the outlook for business activity fell markedly.
At the same time, manufacturing confidence improved somewhat in July, with the index rising from -3.0 to -2.6. Manufactures were especially optimistic about stock levels.
