Stats: Economic Mood Improved in August for Second Consecutive Month

Bratislava, 27 August (TASR) - The economic mood in Slovakia improved for the second consecutive month in August 2025, with the Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) rising by 3.8 points to 100.6 mainly due to more optimism among businesses in the sectors of industry and services and, to a lesser extent, in construction, the Statistics Office reported on Wednesday. Conversely, trade and consumers were slightly more pessimistic when compared to the previous month. However, the economic mood worsened by 3.8 points when set against the same period of last year and was 5.4 points below the long-term average. In industry, the confidence indicator increased by 6 points to 3 points in August, as the respondents envisaged an increase in expected output and in orders, as well as a drop in stocks of finished products across almost all of the categories. After seasonal adjustments, the confidence indicator in services rose to 3 points in August, with businesses expecting an improved economic situation and higher demand than in the previous month, in particular as regards financial and insurance services. In trade, the confidence indicator fell again by 2.7 points to 6.3 points in August, as respondents foresaw a decline in existing and expected business activities, especially in the sale of motor vehicles including components and accessories. In construction, the seasonally adjusted confidence indicator rose by 0.5 points to -6 points amidst more favourable evaluations of the total level of orders, with 81 percent of entrepreneurs describing this as sufficient. The consumer atmosphere among Slovaks fell slightly in August to hit the lowest mark since March 2023, with the consumer confidence indicator going down by 0.3 points on the previous month to -24.4 points, which was 4.5 points below the long-term average. Consumers were more pessimistic in two of the four components of the indicator, in particular the financial situation of their households and developments in unemployment. Conversely, they were slightly more optimistic about the overall economic situation and when it came to savings. jrg/df