The mood of entrepreneurs in April of this year deteriorated across all areas of economic activity compared to March, according to data from the Central Statistical Office (CSU).
The statistical office notes that the mood of entrepreneurs in April 2026 was positive in retail trade and the services sector, however, it was negative in industry and construction.
In April, according to seasonally adjusted data, the sentiment indicator in retail trade was 1.4%, which is 1.8 percentage points lower than in March.
In retail trade for both food and non-food products, the mood of entrepreneurs remained positive at 3% and 2% respectively, although the sentiment indicators slightly decreased compared to the previous month. The mood of fuel retailers was negative, at -3.5%, and it worsened by 1.3 percentage points compared to March. In turn, in the sector of automobile sales, parts, and accessories, the sentiment indicator was positive at 4.3%, improving by 4.5 percentage points compared to the previous month.
In the services sector, according to seasonally adjusted data, the sentiment indicator in April was 1.5%, decreasing by 2.7 percentage points compared to March.
Excluding seasonal influences on sentiment indicators, the most optimistic in April, as usual, were entrepreneurs in the financial sector (25.3%). High sentiment indicators were also recorded in the information services sector (14.4%), rental and operational leasing services (9.1%), and computer programming (9.3%). In turn, the lowest sentiment indicators in April were recorded in security services (-11.9%), warehousing and auxiliary transport activities (-11.7%), as well as in land transport services (-9.3%). A sharp deterioration in sentiment in April was observed in the insurance industry, where the sentiment indicator decreased by 28.3 percentage points compared to the previous month, reaching its lowest value since September 2022.
Overall, in April, out of 30 surveyed sub-sectors of the services sector, 18 had a positive mood, while 12 had a negative mood, with 11 industries improving compared to the previous month and 19 deteriorating.
In April, the sentiment indicator in manufacturing, according to seasonally adjusted data, was -3.6%. Compared to the previous month, it decreased by 0.6 percentage points.
Out of 23 surveyed sub-sectors of manufacturing, in April compared to March, the sentiment indicator increased in 12 industries, decreased in 10, and remained unchanged in one. The overall deterioration in sentiment is due to the fact that the sentiment indicator decreased in all the most significant sub-sectors of manufacturing: in food production - by 4.5 percentage points, in the production of wood, wood products, and cork - by 0.7 percentage points, in the production of computers, electronic and optical equipment - by 6.2 percentage points, and in the production of finished metal products, except for machinery and equipment - by 1.9 percentage points.
In construction, after a rather sharp improvement in entrepreneurs' mood in the previous month, the sentiment indicator decreased by 0.9 percentage points in April, reaching -4.5%.
The overall indicator of economic uncertainty, characterizing the predictability of the socio-economic situation in the country, was 17.1% in April, which is 2.6 percentage points higher than in March.
