Eurozone investor sentiment deteriorated in April due to Trump's trade policies

The Sentix survey showed that Eurozone investor sentiment fell to its lowest level in more than a year in April amid tightening import tariffs in the US. The index dropped from -2.9 in March to -19.5 in April, marking a new low since October 2023. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast a reading of -10.0.

Under US President Donald Trump's measures, EU countries face 25% tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum, as well as cars. Additional retaliatory tariffs of 20% by the United States on almost all other goods will take effect from Wednesday.

The survey of 1,127 investors, conducted April 3–5, found that economic expectations for the next six months were particularly hard hit by the tariff announcement, falling 33.8 points to -15.8 in April. This is the second largest decline in the history of the Sentix data since 2002.

Expectations for Germany, Europe's largest economy, deteriorated even more, plunging 36.3 points to -15.8. The current situation index fell slightly from -21.8 to -23.3.