Eurozone Economic Sentiment Inches Up in May

2026-05-28 09:16 By Joana Ferreira 1 min. read

The Eurozone Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) rose slightly to 93.5 in May 2026, remaining close to the over five-year low of 93.2 recorded in April but exceeding market expectations of 92.8.

Sentiment stayed weak, reflecting mounting concerns over the economic outlook amid the escalating Iran conflict.

Among sectors, confidence improved slightly for service providers (2.2 vs. 1.4 in April) and consumers (-19.0 vs. -20.6), but deteriorated further for manufacturers (-8.0 vs. -7.7), retailers (-10.9 vs. -10.0), and constructors (-3.6 vs. -2.8).

On the pricing front, consumer inflation expectations fell to 40.5 from a four-year high of 48.8, while manufacturers’ selling price expectations eased to 27.4 from April’s over three-year high of 30.2.

In the largest Eurozone economies, the ESI increased in Germany (+1.0) and France (+0.9), remained broadly stable in Italy (+0.1) and Spain (-0.1), and declined in the Netherlands (-0.9).



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The Eurozone Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) rose slightly to 93.5 in May 2026, remaining close to the over five-year low of 93.2 recorded in April but exceeding market expectations of 92.8. Sentiment stayed weak, reflecting mounting concerns over the economic outlook amid the escalating Iran conflict. Among sectors, confidence improved slightly for service providers (2.2 vs. 1.4 in April) and consumers (-19.0 vs. -20.6), but deteriorated further for manufacturers (-8.0 vs. -7.7), retailers (-10.9 vs. -10.0), and constructors (-3.6 vs. -2.8). On the pricing front, consumer inflation expectations fell to 40.5 from a four-year high of 48.8, while manufacturers’ selling price expectations eased to 27.4 from April’s over three-year high of 30.2. In the largest Eurozone economies, the ESI increased in Germany (+1.0) and France (+0.9), remained broadly stable in Italy (+0.1) and Spain (-0.1), and declined in the Netherlands (-0.9).
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