Europe Economic Confidence Slipped in March on Energy, Japan

European confidence in the economic outlook worsened in March, after surging energy costs and Japan’s earthquake clouded global growth prospects.

An index of executive and consumer sentiment in the 17-nation euro region slipped to 107.3 from a revised 107.9 in February, which was the highest since August 2007, the European Commission in Brussels said today. It had previously reported a February reading of 107.8. Economists forecast a drop to 107.5, the median of 25 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey showed.