Mood among manufacturers somewhat more negative

Dutch manufacturers were slightly more negative in September than in August. The producer confidence index stood at -9.8, as against -9.3 in August. The period of marginal deterioration follows a strong increase over the period July–August. The indicator showed a clear recovery after an all-time low in February, but the mood remains negative.

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

In September, manufacturers were less pessimistic with respect to their future output than in August. Their opinions on their order position deteriorated further. Manufacturers’ opinions on their stocks of finished products improved slightly.

The value of orders received over the past three months decreased further. The number of manufacturers reporting a downturn was larger than in the preceding month. The order position index (orders received expressed in months of work) dropped by 0.4 percentage points and stood at 98.7. In September, manufacturers were just as pessimistic about future employment in their branch as in August.

Producer confidence in manufacturing industry