German ZEW economic sentiment dips to -17.5 in December, beats estimates

The German ZEW headline numbers for November showed that the economic sentiment index dropped to -17.5 versus -25.0 expectations and -24.1 last. While the sub-index current conditions figure slumped to 45.3 versus 55.8 expected and 58.2 booked previously, missing market expectations by a big margin.

About German ZEW

These numbers are derived via a survey of about 300 German institutional investors and analysts, conducted by the Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung (ZEW), which asks respondents to rate the relative 6-month economic outlook for Germany. Generally speaking, an optimistic view is considered as positive (or bullish) for the EUR, whereas a pessimistic view is considered as negative (or bearish).