Global Barometers settle at moderate levels

The Coincident Global Economic Barometer decreases 0.2 points this month, while the Leading Barometer gains 2.2 points, reaching 93.0 points and 101.2 points, respectively. The slight decrease in the Coincident Barometer is mainly due to by the decrease in the Asia, Pacific & Africa region, while the increase in the Leading barometer is driven by rises in Europe and the Asia, Pacific & Africa region.  

“The global barometers show little momentum this month. The outlook remains better than the current assessment, although neither is very positive. In fact, the overall assessment of the current situation remains subdued, while the outlook is about average”, evaluates Jan-Egbert Sturm, Director of KOF Swiss Economic Institute.

Coincident Barometer – regions and sectors

The slight decrease in the Coincident Barometer in April is the result of negative contribution of 0.4-points negative contribution from the indicator for the Asia, Pacific & Africa region, which is partially offset by positive contributions from the Western Hemisphere and Europe, both of 0.1 points. The regional indicators for Europe and the Asia, Pacific & Africa region remained relatively stable in 2024, cooling off the rate of improvement seen in 2023, when they gained 13.2 and 10.5 points, respectively. In contrast, the Western Hemisphere maintains a tendency of slight increase and remains at the highest level among the regions. All the regional coincident indicators continue to fluctuate in the 90-point band, signalling a moderate level of global economic activity. The graph below illustrates the contribution of each region to the deviation of the Coincident Barometer from its historical mean of 100 points.

The development of the Coincident sector indicators in April is heterogenous, with an increase in Trade, a slight drop in Industry and Economy (aggregated business and consumer evaluations), and more pronounced decreases in Services and Construction. With these results, Industry remains at the highest level among the sectors, followed by Trade.  

Leading Barometer – regions and sectors 

The Leading Global Barometer leads the world economic growth rate cycle by three to six months on average. In April, Europe and the Asia, Pacific & Africa region contribute 1.2 and 1.0 points, respectively, to the increase in the global indicator, while the Western Hemisphere makes a null contribution. The indicator for the Asia, Pacific & Africa region is still the worst performer in 2024 after having been the regional indicator with the largest gains last year, reflecting reduced optimism. The expectations for Europe and the Western Hemisphere also indicate a slight cooling off of the optimism up to the end of 2023. Nevertheless, all the regional indicators remain above 100 points.

In April, among the Leading sector indicators, Economy (aggregated business and consumer evaluations), Industry, and Trade increase, partially offsetting the declines of the previous two months. The indicator for Construction, however, accentuates the negative tendency after its third consecutive fall to approach the neutral level of 100 points.