TIRANA, March 2 /ATA/ – Albania’s business and consumer confidence indicator declined in February, according to a monthly survey by the Bank of Albania.
Central bank said on Monday that the Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) fell by 2.5 points compared with January, but remains 7.6 points above its long-term average.
The decline was driven mainly by weaker confidence in the construction, services, and trade sectors, while industry showed improvement and consumer confidence remained largely unchanged.
In construction, the indicator fell 6.5 points due to less positive assessments of current activity and orders, though it remains 12 points above the historical average. Services declined by 1.9 points as activity and demand weakened.
Trade confidence fell by 3.6 points, reflecting more cautious employment expectations, but the indicator remains around 10 points above its long-term average.
In contrast, industry confidence rose 1.5 points on the back of more positive evaluations of contracts, including exports, and rising expectations for production and employment.
Consumer confidence held steady near January’s level, around 1.1 points above its historical average. Consumers lowered expectations for their personal financial situation but raised optimism about the broader economy, while expectations for prices and employment were revised downward.
/j.p/u.sh/
