German ZEW economic sentiment at -15.0 in Jan. as against -18.4 expected

The German ZEW headline numbers for the month of January showed that the economic sentiment index came in at -15.0 versus -18.4 expected and -17.5 last. Meanwhile, the sub-index current conditions figure slumped to 27.6 following the previous month’s sharp fall to 45.3 and also fell short of market expectations for a reading of 43.5.

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).