German ZEW economic sentiment dropped to -2.1 in May, down from 3.1 and missed expectation of 5.0. It’s also well below long term average of 22.1. Current situation index, though, rose to 8.2, up from 5.5 and beat expectation of 6.0. Eurozone ZEW economic sentiment dropped to -1.6, down from 4.5 and missed expectation of 5.0. Current situation gauge rose 6.2 pts to 7.0.
ZEW noted that “The development of production and exports in Germany as well as Eurostat’s most recent flash estimate of GDP growth in the euro area in the first quarter of 2019 give rise to the hope that the German economy, too, has grown more strongly than expected in the first quarter. ”
ZEW President Achim Wambach said: “The decline in the ZEW Indicator of Economic Sentiment shows that the financial market experts continue to expect restrained economic growth in Germany for the next six months. The most recent escalation in the trade dispute between the USA and China again increases the uncertainty regarding German exports – a key factor for the growth of the gross domestic product”.
