Euro-Area Consumer Confidence Unexpectedly Declines
Shoppers visit the Chateau Rouge Exotique market in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, France.
Photographer: Anita Pouchard Serra/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Euro-area consumer confidence fell in March, snapping five months of increases and defying economists’ forecast for improvement. The European Commission’s gauge declined to -19.2 and remains well below its long-term average, the EU executive said in a statement on Thursday. The index is based on surveys of households around the region, and at least 80% of responses were collected before recent banking turmoil in financial markets.