Eurozone economic climate is recovering to some extent. The indicator of the German Institute Ifo for the second quarter rose from -11.1 to -6.3 points. Less pessimistic expectations are crucial for improvement. Conversely, the assessment of the current situation has deteriorated again. The experts expect an increase of 1.3% for the current year.

The prospects for the next half year are improving in many Eurozone countries. The expectations have risen most prominently in France, Belgium, and Greece, but have also risen sharply in Germany, Italy, and Spain. Further deterioration of the economic outlook is reported for Ireland, the Netherlands, and Portugal.

The experts estimate that the current position is less positive in most countries except France, Spain, and Lithuania. Strongly downwards, are the ratings for Germany, Austria, and Italy.

Economic experts are less pessimistic about future investment, private consumption, and exports. They expect slightly lower inflation of 1.5% for the current year. In addition, significantly fewer experts predict an increase in short- and long-term interest rates. The shortage of well-trained professionals is the most frequently mentioned problem for the economy.

Since 1989, the Ifo Institute has conducted a quarterly survey in many countries on the development of the business cycle and other economic factors in the countries where the experts are located. This allows a rapid and timely assessment of the prevailing economic situation in the world. The full report will be published on May 8, 2019. The Eurozone results for the second quarter of 2019, which are published in advance, are based on the responses of 410 economic experts.