TIRANA, May 4 /ATA/ – Albania’s economic sentiment edged down in April, as weaker confidence in services, trade and among consumers outweighed gains in industry and construction, the central bank said on Monday.
The Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) fell by 1.5 points month-on-month, according to the Bank of Albania. Despite the decline, it remains 6.4 points above its historical average, pointing to a broadly positive economic backdrop.
The fall was driven mainly by declines in services and trade confidence, alongside weaker consumer sentiment.
By contrast, industry and construction provided some support. The Industry Confidence Indicator rose by 1.5 percentage points, helped by more optimistic assessments of production and export orders.
Construction confidence increased by 4.9 percentage points, standing about 10.6 points above its historical average, supported by stronger order books.
Services confidence fell by 1.7 percentage points, reflecting weaker views on demand and current activity, while the trade indicator dropped by 3.6 points on softer sales expectations.
Consumer confidence declined by 3.2 percentage points and remains below its historical average.
The ESI is a key gauge of business and consumer expectations and an early signal of economic trends.
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