Euro zone sentiment index dips in August: Sentix

BERLIN: Sentiment in the euro zone weakened in August but only slightly, suggesting that the region is managing to withstand a cooling global economy and uncertainty about the fate of Greece, a survey showed on Monday.

Sentix research group's index tracking morale among investors and analysts in the euro zone dipped to 18.4 in August from 18.5 in July. That was below the Reuters consensus forecast for a reading of 20.2. "Despite the global headwinds, the euro zone's economy appears to be in relatively good form," said Manfred Huebner from Sentix. "The euro zone has swallowed the turmoil surrounding Greece and a further collapse in economic momentum there relatively well," he added. Sub-indices showed that investors' assessment of current conditions improved slightly to 15.3, the highest level since July 2011, while the index measuring expectations slipped to 21.5 from 22.3 in the previous month, hurt by sagging global economic momentum.

An index tracking Germany showed sentiment in Europe's largest economy fell slightly, with the current situation component rising while expectations declined. The survey of 1,002 investors was conducted between Aug. 6 and Aug. 8.