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Slight uptick in Belgian business confidence recorded in May
In manufacturing, all components of the indicator strengthened. Along with a significantly better assessment of total order books, respondents in this sector expressed a much more favourable opinion on both demand and employment expectations. The level of stocks was also assessed slightly more favourably than in April. In trade, this month’s improvement can be attributed to both more positive employment expectations and intentions of placing orders with suppliers. However, demand expectations were revised downwards for the third month in a row. In business-related services, confidence fell for the third month in a ... (full story)