- Achim Wambach, ZEW President
Investor sentiment in the Euro zone's largest economy, Germany, improved less than expected in August, according to the latest monthly survey from the Mannheim-based Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW). The ZEW Index of investor confidence in the Euro zone's powerhouse rose to 0.5 points in the eight month of the year, compared to the 6.8 drop seen in July, when it slipped to the lowest level since November 2012 amid the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union. Nevertheless, market analysts anticipated an increase to 2.1 during the reported month. In the meantime, the assessment of the current situation climbed to 57.6 points in August, after declining to 49.8 in the previous month, whereas economic desks pencilled in a slight acceleration to 50.2 in the reported month. For the survey, ZEW questions analysts and institutional investors about their current assessment of the economic situation in Germany, as well as their expectations for the coming months.
Separate report released by the ZEW institute on the same day showed an increase in confidence among analysts and institutional investors regarding the Euro zone, as its economic sentiment index for the region jumped to 4.6 points in August, following the 14.7 fall posted in the preceding month and surpassing the 6.3 decline forecast.
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