EMU Economic Confidence Stabilises; EU.....>

EMU DATA: EMU Economic Confidence Stabilises; EU Boost Driven by the UK

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Economic sentiment was broadly unchanged across the euro area in May, dropping a

slight 0.2 points to 112.5, data published Wednesday showed. Since receding

abruptly since the local high of 115.2 in December, the index has shed just 0.3

points since March, highlighting a stabilisation in confidence. Sentiment in the

wider EU, up 0.4 points to 112.8, was boosted by improvements in Poland (+0.6)

and the UK (+1.9). The latter points to a possible pickup in headline GfK UK

consumer confidence, published Thursday. While the European Commission did

revise euro area figures for April, announced last week, the GfK previously

informed MNI that this would not translate into a revision into the April GfK UK

consumer confidence number (currently at -9).