Clouding of sentiment leads to economic slowdown at the end of the year
“The UniCredit Bank Austria Business Indicator fell to minus 2.2 points in September, the lowest value since the spring. The unsteady upward trend in the economy since the beginning of the year has taken another dip,” says UniCredit Bank Austria Chief Economist Stefan Bruckbauer, adding: “After the economic picture had already been more mixed in the previous month, sentiment deteriorated in all sectors of the economy at the beginning of autumn. Economic concerns increased significantly in domestic industry and the service sector in particular. In addition, uncertainty among domestic consumers increased again for the first time in six months.”
- The UniCredit Bank Austria Business Indicator fell to minus 2.2 points in September, the lowest value since spring
- Deteriorating sentiment in all economic sectors, higher pessimism among consumers
- Despite the economic slowdown at the start of autumn, the Austrian economy will grow slightly faster than previously assumed at 0.3% in 2025 thanks to revised prior-year data
- Supported by domestic demand and a more stable export economy, economic growth of 1.0 per cent is possible in 2026
- After an average of 7.5 per cent in 2025, the unemployment rate should even fall slightly to 7.4 per cent in 2026, supported by demographic change
- Inflation is unlikely to stabilize over the remainder of 2025, but inflation is expected to fall sharply in 2026 as the effect of the end of the electricity price brake is no longer taken into account

UniCredit Bank Austria Business Indicator (PDF)
UniCredit Bank Austria Business Indicator – Computation method (PDF)
as of October, 2025
About UniCredit Bank Austria Business Indicator
The UniCredit Bank Austria Business Indicator provides an overview of the current economic situation in Austria.
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