REAL SECTOR CONFIDENCE INDICES REMAIN STEADY

The Real-Sector Confidence Index (RSCI) rose by 0.3 points to 109.8 in February, compared to the previous month, according to a survey by the Central Bank conducted with 1,718 companies operating in the manufacturing industry. The expectation for producer prices for the next three months jumped 5.5 points. The production and planned export orders for the next three months as well as fixed investment expenditures and total employment planned for the next three months raised the index, while overall orders in the last three months, the current number of confirmed orders, the general course of business, and the current stock of finished goods adversely affected the index. The seasonally-adjusted Real Sector Confidence Index (RSCI-MA) dropped by 2.0 points to 109.9 in the same period.