Economic Expectations Improve

Economic expectations for Central and Eastern Europe including Turkey (CEE region) have improved in March 2016. In the current survey, the ZEW-Erste Group Bank Economic Sentiment Indicator for the CEE region has increased by 14.3 points to a level of 4.7 points. Among the individual countries, the indicators for Poland (up by 13.1 points) and Hungary (up by 9.2 points) have seen the largest increases. The ZEW-Erste Group Bank Economic Sentiment Indicator for Central and Eastern Europe reflects financial market experts’ expectations for the CEE region on a six-month time horizon. The indicator has been compiled on a monthly basis together with further financial market data by the Mannheim Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) with the support of Erste Group Bank, Vienna, since 2007.

The indicator reflecting experts’ assessment of the current economic situation in the CEE region has remained largely stable at a level of minus 4.6 points (up from previous month by 0.2 points).

Information concerning further indicators for the CEE region, the Eurozone, the individual CEE countries covered by the analysis, and Austria can be found in the table (download "Detailed Results for the CEE-Indicator March 2016"). The answers of all survey participants are taken into account for the calculation of the indicators for the CEE region, the Eurozone, and Turkey. The answers of the Turkish survey participants are not incorporated into the calculation of the indicators for individual CEE countries and Austria, because their high participation share in the survey could cause significant biases in the survey results.

For further information please contact

Zwetelina Iliewa, Telefon 0621/1235-346 E-Mail iliewa@zew.de