Slovakia Economic Confidence Falls To 19-Month Low

(RTTNews) - Slovakia's economic sentiment weakened in May to the lowest level in just over one-and-a-half years, and consumers remained slightly more pessimistic, data from the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic showed on Thursday.

The economic sentiment index dropped to 96.7 in May from 99.7 in April.

Further, this was the lowest reading since October 2023, when it was 95.6.

Entrepreneurs in services, trade, and construction were negatively inclined, while producers in industry showed a moderate optimism, the survey said.

Among components, the services confidence indicator worsened markedly to -1.3 in May from 8.3 in April. The retail trade morale eased to 10.3 from 11.7, while that for construction improved to -4.0 from -4.7.

Consumers expressed a slightly more pessimistic attitude in May, with the consumer confidence index falling to -23.4 from -22.7.

Their concerns increased most regarding concerns of unemployment, and they also perceived the development of the general financial situation of households and the overall economic situation more negatively.