construction europe barometer

Reading the clock

The direction or angle of the arrow gives an indication of the point in the cycle the European construction industry is currently at. Given that there was stronger sentiment looking ahead then there was for the current situation, this month's arrow is approaching the vertical.

This indicates in a graphical way what the numbers say – that expectations are for activity to be as high in a year's time as it is now – a continued boom in other words. The length of the arrow is indicative of the strength of sentiment, and again this month it is a long arrow, due to May's up-beat results. However, the arrow is shorter than previous results for this year, reflecting the slight softening in sentiment.