German ZEW Economic Sentiment improved notably to -3.6 in March, up from -13.4 and beat expectation of -11.0. German ZEW Current Situation, however dropped to 11.1, down from 15.0 and missed expectation of 13.0. Eurozone ZEW Economic Sentiment improved to -2.5, up from -16.6 and beat expectation of -15.1. Eurozone ZEW Current Situation also dropped to -6.6, down from -3.0.
ZEW President Professor Achim Wambach said in release that the significant improvement shows that “major economic risks are considered to be less dramatic than before”. Those include possible delay in Brexit and renewed hope for a deal. Also, “progress made in the negotiations between China and the US to end the trade war between the two nations may also have contributed”. Still the indicators point to “relatively weak growth” in first half in Germany.
