SYNTHESIS INE@COVID-19, 9 mar-2021

March . 09 . 2021 SYNTH SIS IN @ COVID-19 www.ine.pt page 5/18 Communication Unit | tel: +351 21 842 61 10 | sci@ine.pt The confidence indicators performed as follows: • The Consumer Confidence Indicator decreased in February, after the increases registered in the two previous months, less so in January. Last month’s developments resulted mainly from the negative contribution of the perspctives regarding future developments in the economic situation of the country; expectations about future developments in major purchases also contributed negatively. Opinions on past developments in the financial situation of the household made a nil contribution to the evolution of the indicator, while perspectives regarding future developments in the financial situation of the household made a positive contribution. • The Manufacturing Industry confidence indicator increased in February, after having decreased in the previous month. In February, the indicator’s evolution was due to the positive contribution of the perspectives on the firm’s production expectations; opinions concerning stocks of finished goods and opinions on the evolution of overall demand made negative contributions. The indicator increased in the Intermediate Goods grouping, decreased in the Investment Goods and stabilised in the Consumer Goods grouping. • The Construction and Public Works confidence indicator decreased in February, after having increased in December and January. The worsening in the last month reflected the negative contribution of the opinions on the order books; the perspectives on employment kept a positive contribution, although slightly lower than in January. The indicator decreased in the three divisions, Real Estate Development and BuildingConstruction , SpecialisedConstructionActivities , and Civil Engineering , only slightly in the latter. • The Trade Confidence Indicator decreased in January and February, after a slight increase in December. This resulted from the negative contribution of opinions on the volume of sales and, above all, of the perspectives on the firm’s activity in the next three months; opinions on the volume of stocks made a positive contribution. In February, the confidence indicator decreased in Wholesale Trade and Retail Trade , more significantly in the latter case. • The Services Confidence Indicator decreased significantly in February, after having increased in the previous month, resuming the downward trend started in November. The behaviour of the indicator resulted fromthe strong negative contribution of all components, opinions on the evolution of the order books, perspectives on the evolution of demand and opinions on the firm’s activity, more so in the first case. In February, confidence indicators decreased in six of the eight Services Sections, namely Real Estate Activities, Hotels, Restaurants, and Similar and Information and Communication Activities .