Economic sentiment up slightly in Europe

The European Commission said consumer confidence rose in February in the European Union and the eurozone, the 17 countries that use the euro as currency. The Economic Sentiment Indicator for the EU rose from minus 20.1 to minus 19.1. In the eurozone, the index rose from minus 20.3 to minus 19, the commission said Thursday. The index is considered a "flash" estimate, as some data that goes into the index is not yet available. The index for both regions has risen for two consecutive months. The index assigns the 1990-2009 average a numerical value of 100. Below 100 indicates confidence has fallen below that 20-year average.