Euro Area Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) edged up to 95.5 in September 2025
10/01/2025 10:00 pm EST
AJ Economy Trend - Eurozone neutral due to improving sentiment in consumer and construction but weakened in industry, services and retail trade
The Euro Area Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) edged up to 95.5 in September 2025 from a revised 95.3 in August, slightly above market expectations of 95.2, signaling a modest improvement in sentiment. Gains were supported by stronger consumer confidence (-14.9 vs -15.5) and a slight rise in construction confidence (-3.5 vs -3.6). However, sentiment weakened in industry (-10.3 vs -10.2), services (3.6 vs 3.8), and retail trade (-7.7 vs -6.4), showing continued pressures across business sectors. Among major economies, sentiment improved in Spain (+3.0 to 104.7), Italy (+0.7 to 99), and France (+0.3 to 93), while it slipped in Germany (-0.4 to 89.3) and the Netherlands (-0.7 to 99.9), highlighting a mixed regional outlook with resilience in southern Europe offsetting softness in core economies.
Japan’s leading economic indicator rises to 106.1, highest since March 2025
10/01/2025 10:00 pm EST
AJ Economy Trend - US neutral due to firm labor market despite soft payroll statistics in recent quarter
Japan’s leading economic index rose to 106.1 in July 2025, the highest since March, reflecting a brighter short-term outlook. The improvement was driven by a stronger labor market, as the unemployment rate fell to 2.3%, its lowest since December 2019, and by continued growth in household spending, which increased 1.4% in July, marking a third straight monthly rise. However, the positive momentum was partly offset by softening consumer confidence, which eased from June’s four-month high.
