Eurozone economic sentiment index drops to 97.9 in September, below expectations

⑴ The Eurozone economic sentiment index for September 2026 fell to 97.9 from 98.4 in August, below the market expectation of 99.0. ⑵ This is the first decline since April, as consumers became more concerned about rising oil prices and stalled negotiations aimed at ending the ongoing six-month conflict between the US and Iran. ⑶ Consumer confidence deteriorated from -15.5 to -16.5, and inflation expectations rose from 33.0 to 35.2. ⑷ Retailers’ confidence remained broadly unchanged (-6.4, previous value -6.3), as did builders’ confidence (-5.0, previous value -5.0). Manufacturers’ confidence improved from -5.0 to -3.8, despite an increase in sales price expectations (20.3, previous value 16.9). Service sector confidence also rose from 5.6 to 6.1. ⑸ Among major economies, confidence in France declined sharply (-1.7), Italy posted a moderate drop (-0.8), while Spain (+3.4), Germany (+0.6), and the Netherlands (+0.5) saw increases.