Slovakia Business Mood Drops to Lowest Since 2023

The industrial confidence indicator in Slovakia fell by 17 points to -15 in August 2026, reversing from 2.0 in the previous month and reaching its lowest level since June 2023. Assessments deteriorated further for current order levels (-17 vs -14) and current export orders (-18 vs -16), while the assessment of the trend in industrial production turned negative (-7 vs 32). At the same time, expectations eased for the trend in industrial production (15 vs 16) and product prices (8 vs 10). In contrast, current stocks of finished products increased (21 vs 12). Meanwhile, the employment outlook also weakened, easing to 5 in August from 7 in the previous month, pointing to a further deterioration in overall industrial sentiment.

The industrial confidence indicator in Slovakia rose by 8.7 points to 2.0 in July 2026, rebounding from a seven-month low of -6.7 in the previous month. The improvement was mainly driven by higher expected production (32 vs 17 in June), particularly in the manufacture of wood and paper products, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, trailers, semi-trailers, and other transport equipment. It was also supported by lower finished goods inventories (12 vs 25), mainly in the manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products. Additionally, the employment outlook continued to improve (7 vs 2). Meanwhile, the current level of orders declined further (-14 vs -12), along with export order levels (-16 vs -15), while assessments of current industrial production eased (16 vs 28). Selling price expectations moderated slightly (10 vs 13).

The industrial confidence indicator in Slovakia fell by 7.3 points month-on-month to -6.7 in June 2026 from 0.7 in the previous month, marking the lowest reading since November 2025. The deterioration reflected weaker assessments of expected production for the next three months (17 vs 26), particularly in wood and paper products and transport equipment. At the same time, evaluations of overall order books deteriorated further (-12 vs -8), while finished goods inventories increased (25 vs 16). Sentiment toward the current level of export order books also became more pessimistic (-15 vs -12). Meanwhile, assessment of current industrial production improved significantly (28 vs 2 in May), and the employment outlook turned positive (2 vs -1).