The economic sentiment indicator in Ukraine, calculated by the State Statistics Service, in the first quarter of 2018 was 110.1% compared with 104.3% and 105% in the fourth and third quarters of 2017 respectively, indicating its transition to the stage of recovery.

According to the service, three out of the five indicators of business confidence have improved: in processing industry (from minus 5% to minus 2%), in construction (from minus 25% to minus 20%) and in services (from minus 6% to minus 5%).

At the same time, a slight deterioration in consumer confidence was recorded (from minus 27% to minus 28%). In addition, after a jump in the fourth quarter of last year from 6% to 12%, business confidence in retail trade declined to 5%.

The agency said that in the first quarter of last year, the economic sentiment indicator was 84.5%, and in the second quarter it increased to 96.1%.

The service said the indicator is calculated according to the methodology of calculating business expectations indicators in accordance with the requirements of the expanded Special Data Dissemination Standard of the International Monetary Fund, updated by the State Statistics Service in December last year.