However, certain factors are driving up prices. The price of crude oil, for instance, went up sharply in recent months. More expensive fuels are a reflection of this development. There are price rises almost across the board. Pork products became more expensive in this period.
Dutch entrepreneurs remain confident in the economy.
The March indicator of producer confidence stood at 6.6.The level in February was just about the same. Entrepreneurs are slightly more satisfied with the stocks of finished products and with their order position. Furthermore they are expecting a rise in productivity in the months to come. This is up 0.2 percentage points on December 1999. However, it is still well below the top level observed during the previous economic boom period.