31st July 2009

The Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) increased by 3.7 points in Malta, according to the Business and Consumer Survey Report issued by the European Commission for July 2009

In Malta, the Industrial Confidence Indicator increased by 8 points compared to a 3 point increase in EU and 2 points in the EA.

This was mainly backed by an improvement in order books which increased by 22 points. This means that more orders are being placed with our manufacturing firms in Malta.

Export order books also displayed a notable improvement, increasing by 8 points hence the improvement is coming from a recovery in the international scene too. Coupled with this improvement, employment expectations have also improved in Malta.

Manufacturing industry also reported an increase in capacity utilisation. In this survey, Malta matched its maximum value of 6.1 months which was registered in the April 2006 survey, achieving the third longest number of months amongst the EU.

Export volume expectations in the manufacturing industry also showed notable improvement of 18 points, with the indicator swinging into positive for the first time in a year