Business Sweden's Export Managers' Index (EMI), which monitors views and reflects sentiment among Swedish exporters of goods and services, bounced back in the first quarter survey. EMI rose by 6.4 points to 50.8, from 44.4 in the previous quarter.
The fact that EMI climbed back above the 50-mark – the dividing line between optimism and pessimism – signals that export companies are moving from a gloomy view of export development to a more balanced view at the start of 2024.
A dramatic boost was seen in the subindex for expected export demand from North America which jumped by 21.8 points to 71.1 in the first quarter. This is the highest recorded level since the first quarter of 2021. A significant uptick was also seen in the index for Europe, which is Sweden's largest export market.
In all, the first quarter survey points to positive sentiment among export managers when assessing future prospects, while gloomy views of the current situation prevail. Provided that the crisis in the Middle East does not escalate in any major way, there is cause for expecting a brighter development for exports in the months ahead.
Download the report for a full overview of the survey results.
The next Export Managers’ Index will be published on 9 May 2024.
Export manager's index
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ABOUT THE ANALYSIS
Business Sweden’s Export Managers’ Index is a quarterly index showing the current mood of Swedish exporting companies as well as their near-future outlook for exports to the regions of the world.
The index is a measure of companies’ perceived export demand in the market, where a level above 50 indicates market expansion and a level below 50 indicates market contraction. The index can be split into subindices for current and forecast export demand, and contains information on export sales, expected regional demand and perceived order stock.
The survey is conducted by Statistics Sweden (SCB). Business Sweden’s Export Managers’ Index is a leading indicator of the development of Sweden’s economy.
Publishing dates 2024
Below are the Swedish publishing dates for the EMI report. The English version is available on the website a few days later.
8 February: EMI Q1
9 May: EMI Q2
29 August: EMI Q3
7 November: EMI Q4
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