TIRANA, April 1 /ATA/ The Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) increased by 1.1 points in March 2025, announced the Bank of Albania.
According to the Bank of Albania, the current level of the Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) stands 8.1 points above the historical average.
The rise was driven by an improvement in both consumer and business confidence across all sectors, except for the trade sector.
The industrial confidence indicator rose by 1.4 percentage points, hovering around 6 percentage points above the historical average. The improvement in March was driven by optimistic evaluations of export order books and more optimistic outlooks on current industrial production. Businesses reported a small decrease in inventory levels, while expectations for future prices saw a slight increase compared to the previous month.
The construction confidence indicator rose by 1.6 percentage points and continues to stand well above the historical average. The performance this month was driven by improved business assessments of current construction activity. Moreover, businesses showed optimism about future employment, while price expectations were slightly adjusted downward.
The services confidence indicator increased by 1.2 percentage points and remains around 13 percentage points above the historical average. The improvement was driven by more positive business assessments of their current activity. Additionally, expectations for future employment levels have risen.
The trade confidence indicator decreased by 2.1 percentage points in March. However, its level continues to remain around 5 percentage points above the historical average this month. This trend was driven by more pessimistic assessments of current business performance, as well as declining expectations for future employment levels. Expectations for future prices were also revised downward.
The consumer confidence indicator increased by 2.3 percentage points for the second consecutive month, bringing its level back above the historical average by 3.5 percentage points. This month’s growth reflects both more optimistic expectations for the overall economic situation and for their future financial condition, as well as an improved outlook on major purchases. /j.p/sm/
