CE Barometer October 2009: Rebound remains

October saw confidence in the European construction industry strengthen again, building on the seasonal up-tick seen in September.

Month-on-month activity moved further in positive territory with a balance of +16,8% of respondents saying activity was higher in October than September. This was a marked improvement on September's result of +7,4%, and moved this measure of confidence further away from the negative results seen in July and August.

In contrast there was a slight drop-off in sentiment about future prospects. Asked how activity in 12 months' time was likely to compare to today, a balance of +32,3% said there would be an improvement. Although this was firmly in positive territory, it was down a little from the figure of +35,8% seen in September (although it was only a small change).

The balance figures are calculated as the percentage of respondents giving positive responses, minus the number giving negative answers.

As a result of these two positive figures, the arrow of our clock pointed to the ‘Boom' segment. The arrow length, which indicates the strength of the sentiment, was unchanged from September. However, the improvement in current activity levels saw it tick round further to the vertical.

Take part

CE would like to thank all those that took part in the September survey. It was completed by more than 300 construction professionals in 27 countries around the region.

The survey, which takes just a one minute to complete, is open to all construction professionals working in Europe. The CE Barometer survey is open from the 1st to the 15th of each month on our website. Full information can be found at www.cebarometer.eu