CE Barometer April 2009: Back to booms?!

A positive balance of +4.9% of respondents said activity was higher in April compared to March - the first time this measure of sentiment has been positive since last June.

Sentiment on the future outlook also turned positive for the first time since last summer, with +3.9% of respondents saying they thought they would be busier in a year's time instead of this April.

The balance figures are calculated as the percentage of respondents giving positive responses, minus the number giving negative answers. February was the tenth consecutive month of declines in current activity.

As a result of these two figures, the arrow of our clock pointed to the ‘Boom' segment for the first time since last May. But as was the case alst month, the very short arrow indicates how weak that sentiment is - the arrow was the same length in March, but pointed to a recession.

With no strong sentiment one way or the other, it would be premature to herald a recovery in European construciton activity, although the last two directionless months could indicate some sort of turning point.

It should also be said that there is a traditional spike in sentiment in April, as activity picks up from the winter lull. Month-on-month sentiment usually falls back in May or June, so it seems unlikely that the current ‘boom' will continue for more than another month.

Take part

CE would like to thank all those that took part in the February survey. It was completed by more than 300 construction professionals in 26 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 http://www.cebarometer.eu/.