Economic think tank GKI’s combined consumer and business confidence index rose to -23.3 points in January from -25.4 points in December, returning to its level in October of last year, GKI said in the gauge supported by the European Union.
The business confidence index rose to -14.2 points in January from -16.7 points in December.
The construction sector sub-index rose slightly as the outlook for headcount improved and the assessment of order stock was little changed, but reports on production in the previous three months worsened.
In the trade sector, sentiment worsened slightly because of poor assessments of order stock and selling positions. Stock of product, which companies earlier said were too small, are now too big.
The service sector sub-index was unchanged in January after falling for the last two months of the year. Companies were more optimistic about business in the coming months, but headcount was down.
More companies planned to lower prices, but more households expected inflation to rise.
The consumer confidence index climbed to -49.1 points in January from -50.1 points in December. More households were afraid of unemployment, but the assessments of their own financial situations and the chance to make savings improved slightly.