Eurozone: Consumer confidence, highest since 2007

The consumer confidence index in the eurozone rose to the highest level in the last 6 and a half years, according to a European Commission report which was published today.

The index returned to the levels it saw before the financial crisis in countries that have adopted the single European currency.

The index, based on consumer surveys, showed that consumer confidence in the eurozone rose to -8.7 from -9.3 in March. This is the highest level of consumer confidence recorded since November 2007, according to the European Commission.

The rise exceeded analyst expectations. Economists of ING bank, for example, were among those that warned that financial consequences of the Ukrainian crisis could "reduce consumer optimism" in the eurozone. However, that crisis does not seem to have had as much impact so far.

In the EU of the 28 countries, consumer confidence also continued to rise in April, reaching -5.8 from -6.7 in March.

This data is added to a series of positive economic news for the 18-member eurozone as a whole, which came out of recession only in the second quarter of 2013.