Dutch biz confidence remains negative at start of Q3 2023: CBS

17 Aug '23

1 min read

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Insights

Entrepreneurial confidence in the Netherlands remained at minus 8.3 at Q3 2023's start, unchanged from prior months.
Sentiment stayed negative across most sectors, but retail improved for the third quarter.
Expectations for orders and investments declined, with 2 per cent expecting a decrease, a shift from 5 per cent expecting growth last year.

At the start of the third quarter (Q3) of 2023, entrepreneurial confidence in the Netherlands stood at minus 8.3, a figure virtually unchanged from three months earlier, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS).

In nearly every sector, entrepreneurial sentiment remained negative as Q3 began. However, in the retail trade, the mood improved for the third consecutive quarter. Despite this, the overarching sentiment remained balanced in terms of increase and decrease but stayed negative overall.

Expectations regarding purchase orders and investments declined year-on-year, reflecting a broader pessimism in the business community. Specifically, at the beginning of Q3 2023, 2 per cent of entrepreneurs on balance expected a decline in the value of their order positions over the next three months. This is a stark contrast to the same period one year earlier, when nearly 5 percent were expecting an improvement, as per CBS.

This quarter marks the first time that the expected order position has turned negative since the beginning of 2021.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DP)

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