Dutch economic picture improves slightly, but most indicators still lag
The Netherlands’ economic outlook improved slightly in September, but most indicators remained below their long-term trends.
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The Dutch economic picture became slightly less negative in September, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported. Its Business Cycle Tracer indicator rose from −0.26 in August to −0.23, where zero represents the long-term trend. The measure has been rising since August 2025, but nine of its 13 indicators still performed below their long-term trends. [1]
Consumers were a little less pessimistic: consumer confidence rose from −34 to −33, though it remained far below its 20-year average. Producer confidence climbed from 3.7 to 4.2 and was above its average. These are survey measures of sentiment, rather than changes in spending or output. [1]
Other figures in the CBS assessment point to growth alongside persistent weakness. In its second estimate, CBS put second-quarter GDP growth at 0.6% compared with the first quarter, driven mainly by household spending, the trade balance and government consumption. Calendar-adjusted industrial production in July was 9.0% higher than a year earlier. [1]
Unemployment held at 4.0% in August, while the number of unemployed people had risen by an average of 3,000 a month over the preceding three months. House prices were 3.3% higher than a year earlier, but fell 0.1% from July to August. [1]
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