''The Center for Economic Policy Research(CEPR) and the Bank of Italy said Friday the Eurocoin indicator rose to minus 0.09% in July from minus 0.18% in June to reach its highest level since the first half of 2012.
The rise in the index, one of the earliest measures of economic activity in the currency area, is consistent with other recent surveys and indicators in recording an improvement in the EU economy, although it is at odds with manufacturing and services purchasing managers' surveys in that they pointed to an expansion this month for the first time since early 2012.
Those favorable signs continued to arrive Friday, as the results of a monthly survey conducted by France's national statistics agency showed consumers became more optimistic about their prospects in July. Insee's headline measure of consumer confidence rose to 82 from 79 in June. That follows improvements in measures of business confidence in Germany, the Nederlands and Belgium and consumer confidence in Italy''.
