Business confidence in Dutch industry fell to -1.1 in February 2026, returning to pessimism after a brief positive reading of 0.8 in January. Expected activity weakened to 7.0 from 12.7, while order position assessments deteriorated to -6.5 from -5.4. Stock judgments improved slightly to -3.9 from -4.8, indicating somewhat lower inventory pressure. By sector, confidence remained negative in several industries, including food and beverages (-3.5 vs 0.6), paper and graphic industries, refineries and chemistry, and basic metals, which saw a sharp deterioration (-5.5 vs 0.1). The textile, clothing, and leather sector also stayed in negative territory but improved (-7.0 vs -10.4), while transportation equipment slipped into contraction (-1.3 vs 0.0). Meanwhile, confidence was positive in wood and building materials (1.1 vs -1.1), as well as in electrical engineering and machinery(5.9 vs 5.3). Other industry and repair also remained positive, though sentiment eased to 1.6 from 6.0.