Forexpros – Investor confidence in the euro zone tumbled in August, dropping to negative territory as concerns over the region’s debt crisis weighed, industry data showed on Monday.

In a report, market research group, Sentix said its index of investor confidence plunged 18.8 points to minus 13.5 in August, down from July’s reading of 5.3.

Analysts had expected the index to ease down by 1.9 points to 3.4 in August.

On the index, a level above 0.0 indicates optimism, below indicates pessimism.

Following the release of the data, the euro was up against the U.S. dollar, with EUR/USD gaining 0.45% to trade at 1.4344.

Meanwhile, European stock markets were mixed. The EURO STOXX 50 rose 0.7%, France’s CAC 40 eased down 0.1%, Germany’s DAX slumped 0.7%, while the FTSE 100 fell 0.15%.

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