ZEW economic sentiment index improved at the beginning of the year, despite analysts' expectations. Investor confidence in the German economy rose to -15 points in the first month of the year from -17.5 points in December 2018. In September, investor confidence increased to a record -10.6 points. The index of current research conditions, in contrast, decreased from 45.3 points to 27.6. This is the lowest figure since January 2015. ZEW Center President, Achim Wambach, noted the stability of economic sentiment in Germany, despite growing global economic risks. The value of the ZEW index for the euro area rose to -20.9, rising by 0.1 points. The current conditions index fell to 5.3 points. The index for the Eurozone fell by 6.8 points.