The Consumer confidence indicator decreased in August, after increasing in the previous month and stabilizing in June. The decline observed in the last month resulted from the negative contributions of expectations on the future evolution of the country’s economic situation, of households’ financial situation and of major purchases by households, while opinions on the past evolution of households’ financial situation remained stable. 

The balance of Consumer opinions on past price developments decreased in August, after increasing in the preceding month, while the balance of expectations on future price developments increased in the last two months, following declines in May and June.

The economic climate indicator  increased in August, resuming the upward movement observed since April. The confidence indicators increased in Services, in Manufacturing Industry and in Trade, having decreased in Construction and Public Works.

The Services confidence indicator increased in August, after having decreased in the previous month, with positive contributions of the balance of perspectives on the evolution of demand and of opinions on the evolution of the business, having the evolution of the order books contributed negatively. In the Manufacturing Industry, the confidence indicator increased between February and August, with the opinions on the current stocks of finished products contributed positively to the evolution of the indicator. The Trade confidence indicator also increased in July and August, after declining in the previous four months, reflecting the positive contributions from the expectations on the firm’s activity over the next three month and the opinions on the volume of sales. On the other hand, the confidence indicator of Construction and Public Works decreased in July and August, after having increased in the previous two months, reflecting the negative contribution of perspectives on employment, while assessments of the order book contributed positively.

In August, the entrepreneurs’ expectations regarding the future evolution of selling prices increased in the last two months in Construction and Public Works sector, having decreased between June and August in the Services and Trade sectors, and, expressively in August, in the Manufacturing Industry sector.