Producer confidence up

The mood among Dutch manufacturers improved for the second month in a row. Producer confidence in the manufacturing industry was 5.3 in June, as against 3.7 in May. The mood among manufacturers is positive, but they are less optimistic than at the beginning of 2008.

Producer confidence consists of three component indicators: expected output in the next three months and producers’ opinions about their stocks of finished products and about their order books.

Manufacturers were far more optimistic in June with respect to their future output than in May. On the other hand, they evaluated their order positions less positively. Their opinions on the stocks of finished products did not change.

In June, the number of manufacturers reporting an increase in orders received outnumbered those reporting a decline. Manufacturers were less positive about orders received than in May, though. The order position index (orders received expressed in months of work) increased slightly, to 117.1.

Producer confidence in manufacturing industry