Belgium Business Confidence Unexpectedly Erodes Further

(RTTNews) - Business confidence in Belgium continued to fall in March, driven by the weakness in all sectors except trade, survey data from the National Bank of Belgium showed on Tuesday.

The business confidence index dropped to -15.1 from -12.3 in February. Economists had forecast a score of -11.4.

"The downturn in the business climate was particularly marked in the business-related services sector," the survey said.

Confidence among the business-related services firms weakened for the fourth month in a row as market demand expectations worsened sharply. Though business leaders' assessment of currency activity was poor, they were more optimistic regarding future business levels.

Business morale dropped for a third consecutive month in the building industry, while sentiment was mixed in the manufacturing industry.

The trade sector registered an increase in confidence due to significantly optimistic employment expectations.