Dutch Business Mood Weakest in 9 Months

2026-05-28 07:20 By Kyrie Dichosa 1 min. read

Business confidence in the Dutch manufacturing sector deteriorated to -2.0 in May 2026 from -0.7 in April, marking the weakest reading since last August.

Expected activity dropped sharply to 4.6 from 8.4, signalling a notable weakening in the near-term production outlook, while inventory judgments worsened to -5.2 from -3.3, indicating a higher perceived stock overhang.

By contrast, order position assessments improved slightly to -5.6 from -7.1, suggesting some easing in demand conditions.

By sector, sentiment weakened broadly.

The food and beverage industry declined (-3.0 vs -1.9), wood and building materials edged lower (-3.5 vs -3.3), while refineries and chemicals weakened further (-3.7 vs -1.6), alongside base metals and metal products (-4.1 vs -0.8).

Assessments were less negative for paper and graphic products (-4.0 vs -4.9), and textile, clothing, and leather (-2.9 vs -7.9).



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Dutch Business Mood Weakest in 9 Months
Business confidence in the Dutch manufacturing sector deteriorated to -2.0 in May 2026 from -0.7 in April, marking the weakest reading since last August. Expected activity dropped sharply to 4.6 from 8.4, signalling a notable weakening in the near-term production outlook, while inventory judgments worsened to -5.2 from -3.3, indicating a higher perceived stock overhang. By contrast, order position assessments improved slightly to -5.6 from -7.1, suggesting some easing in demand conditions. By sector, sentiment weakened broadly. The food and beverage industry declined (-3.0 vs -1.9), wood and building materials edged lower (-3.5 vs -3.3), while refineries and chemicals weakened further (-3.7 vs -1.6), alongside base metals and metal products (-4.1 vs -0.8). Assessments were less negative for paper and graphic products (-4.0 vs -4.9), and textile, clothing, and leather (-2.9 vs -7.9).
2026-05-28
Dutch Business Mood Steady in April
Business confidence in the manufacturing sector in the Netherlands stood at -0.7 in April 2026, unchanged from the previous month. Order position assessments inched up to -7.1 from -7.2, while sentiment regarding stock levels improved to -3.3 from -4.9 in March. Meanwhile, expected activity declined to 8.4 from 10.1, indicating weaker optimism about near-term production. By sector, sentiment improved in food and beverage (-1.9 vs -4.5), textile, clothing, and leather (-7.9 vs -11.1), paper and graphic products (-4.9 vs -7.6), and refineries and chemicals (-1.6 vs -5.2). On the other hand, these gains were offset as the outlook turned pessimistic in base metals and metal products (-0.8 vs 1.7) and other industry and repair (-1.4 vs 1.3). Sentiment also weakened in transport equipment (1.5 vs 2.7) and electrical engineering and machinery (2.7 vs 4.6).
2026-04-30
Dutch Business Confidence Improves in March
Business confidence in the Netherlands’ manufacturing sector fell to -0.7 in March 2026, easing from -1.1 in the previous month. Expected activity rose to 10.1 from 7.0, indicating optimism about near-term production. In contrast, order position assessments weakened to -7.2 from -6.5, and stock judgments declined to -4.9 from -3.9 in February. By sector, outlook improved in refineries and chemicals (-5.2 vs -5.5), while the base metal and metal products industry (1.7 vs -5.5) and transport equipment (2.7 vs -1.3) moved into positive territory. On the other hand, sentiment weakened further in the textile, clothing, and leather industry (-11.1 vs 7.0), food and beverages (-4.5 vs 3.5), and paper and graphic industry (-7.6 vs -4.2). Outlook also became less optimistic in electrical engineering and machinery (4.6 vs 5.9) and other industry and repair (1.3 vs 1.6).
2026-03-30