Eurozone Construction Drought Continues in December

Eurozone Construction Total Activity Index tumbled to 45.5 in December, from 45.6 in November, according to IHS Markit press release. The index signifies a further contraction in Eurozone construction activity fueled by the ravaging impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• The sharpest decline in activity was in commercial construction, followed by civil engineering. 
• Construction firms in each of Eurozone’s three largest economies (Germany, France, and Italy) recorded contractions, with France having the sharpest declines.
• Of the three largest economies in the Eurozone, Italian firms registered a return to expansion territory in December, the first in three months.
• New orders received by eurozone construction firms fell further in December while employment registered slightly quicker falls.
• The Future Activity Index stayed below the 50.0 thresholds for the fifth consecutive month to signal a negative sentiment among building companies in the Eurozone.

European stocks are currently gaining as the Euro loses. DAX is up 0.52%, EURUSD is down 0.48%