Portugal Business Climate at 5-Month Low

2026-03-30 09:26 By Larissa Caser 1 min. read

Business confidence in Portugal fell to 2.6 in March 2026, marking a five-month low, down from 2.9 in February.

Entrepreneurs’ price expectations rose across all sectors driven by tensions in non-EU markets, particularly in manufacturing, where expectations reached their highest level since October 2022.

Trade confidence has declined over the past four months, reflecting weaker expectations for activity in the next three months and trade volumes.

Similarly, construction confidence has fallen for a second consecutive month, weighed down by negative employment outlooks.

In contrast, services sentiment and manufacturing confidence have improved over the past two months, supported by stronger business activity and positive assessments of finished goods stock and global demand.



News Stream
Portugal Business Climate at 5-Month Low
Business confidence in Portugal fell to 2.6 in March 2026, marking a five-month low, down from 2.9 in February. Entrepreneurs’ price expectations rose across all sectors driven by tensions in non-EU markets, particularly in manufacturing, where expectations reached their highest level since October 2022. Trade confidence has declined over the past four months, reflecting weaker expectations for activity in the next three months and trade volumes. Similarly, construction confidence has fallen for a second consecutive month, weighed down by negative employment outlooks. In contrast, services sentiment and manufacturing confidence have improved over the past two months, supported by stronger business activity and positive assessments of finished goods stock and global demand.
2026-03-30
Portugal Business Climate Eases to 4-Month Low
Business confidence in Portugal edged down to a four-month low of 2.9 in February 2026 from 3 in the previous month. Sentiment weakened among manufacturers (-2.1 vs -1.4 in January), constructors (2.3 vs 2.4) and traders (4.4 vs 5.7) but improved slightly for service providers (5 vs 4.7).
2026-02-26
Portugal Business Climate Edges Down in January
Business confidence in Portugal fell to 3 in January 2026 from 3.1 in December, ending two months of improvement as sentiment weakened across most sectors. The economic climate indicator declined after rising in the prior two months, reflecting lower confidence in trade, manufacturing and services. Trade confidence fell for a second month, driven by weaker views on sales volumes and activity expectations for the next three months. Manufacturing confidence also declined, reflecting negative assessments of global demand and near term production prospects. Services sentiment weakened in January due to poorer demand expectations, softer assessments of current activity and weaker order books. By contrast, confidence in construction and public works improved after a prior decline, supported by a strong positive contribution from employment expectations. Entrepreneurs’ price expectations eased in trade and services, while rising in manufacturing and construction.
2026-01-29