Supply Chain Research

European business sentiment towards exports diverged in July. German managers became more optimistic with a net 13.7% seeing exports increase vs. 12.6% in June. That marked a turnaround after seven months of declines, though automotive sentiment continued to worsen. French sentiment by contrast fell to its lowest since March 2017 at a net negative 4%. A turnaround in sentiment could be fueled by the tariff-standstill agreement reached by President Juncker and President Trump.