Producer confidence hardly changed

Producer confidence has exceeded the long-term average of 1.2 for years. It reached an all-time high (12.7) in November 2021 and an all-time low (-28.7) in April 2020.

Less negative opinion about current stocks

Manufacturers are less negative about their current stocks. However, they are also less positive about future output and their order positions compared to the previous month.

Two component indicators of producer confidence are positive. The majority of manufacturers consider their order position to be strong rather than weak, given the time of year. Furthermore, manufacturers anticipating output to increase over the next three months outnumber those expecting a decrease.

However, there was one negative component indicator: more manufacturers define their current stock of finished products as too large rather than too small.

Confidence up in half of industries

Half of the most important manufacturing industries show improved producer confidence in February . Just as in the previous months, confidence is highest in the electrotechnical and machinery industries.

Manufacturing output slightly up in December

In December 2022, the average daily output of the Dutch manufacturing industry was 0.5 percent higher than in December 2021. Manufacturing output grew a lot slower in the last months of 2022 compared to the previous months.

Producer confidence also improving in Germany

Germany is an important market for the Dutch manufacturing industry. In February, German entrepreneurs again showed improved confidence, according to the Business Climate Index of the IFO Institute. They were less negative about their future situation, but also slightly less positive about the current situation. The average daily output generated by the German manufacturing industry was down by 2.1 percent year on year in December, as reported by Destatis.