Short-term business statistics (STS) give information on a wide range of economic activities. All STS data are index data. Additionally, annual absolute values are released for building permits indicators. Percentage changes are also available for each indicator: Infra-annual percentage changes - changes between two consecutive months or quarters - are calculated on the basis of non-adjusted data (prices) or calendar and seasonally adjusted data (volume and value indicators) and year-on-year changes - comparing a period to the same period one year ago - are calculated on the basis of non-adjusted data (prices and employment) or calendar adjusted data (volume and value indicators).

The index data are generally presented in the following forms:

-- Unadjusted

-- Calendar adjusted

-- Calendar and seasonally adjusted

Depending on the EBS Regulation data are accessible as monthly, quarterly and annual data.

The STS indicators are listed below in four different sectors, reflecting the dissemination of these data in Eurostat’s online database “Eurobase”.

Based on the national data, Eurostat compiles short-term indicators for the EU and euro area. Among these, a list of indicators, called Principal European Economic Indicators (PEEIs) has been identified by key users as being of prime importance for the conduct of monetary and economic policy of the euro area. The PEEIs contributed by STS are marked with * in the text below.

The euro indicators are released through Eurostat's website.

INDUSTRY

-- Production (volume)*

-- Turnover: Total, Domestic market and Non-domestic market. A further breakdown of the non-domestic turnover into euro area and non-euro area is available for the euro area countries

-- Producer prices (output prices)*: Total, Domestic market and Non-domestic market. A further breakdown of the non-domestic producer prices into euro area and non-euro area is available for the euro area countries

-- Import prices*: Total, euro area market, Non euro area market (euro area countries only)

-- Labour input indicators: Number of employees and self-employed persons, Hours worked by employees, Gross wages and salaries

CONSTRUCTION

-- Production (volume)*

-- Building permits indicators*: Number of dwellings, Square meters of useful floor

-- Producer (output) prices in construction (if not available, they can be approximated by the Construction costsvariable)

-- Labour input indicators: Number of employees and self-employed persons, Hours worked by employees, Gross wages and salaries

TRADE

-- Volume of sales (deflated turnover)*

-- Turnover (value)

-- Labour input indicators: Number of employees and self-employed persons, Hours worked by employees, Gross wages and salaries

SERVICES

-- Production (volume)*

-- Turnover (in value)

-- Labour input indicators: Number of employees and self-employed persons, Hours worked by employees, Gross wages and salaries

-- Producer prices (Output prices)*

MARKET ECONOMY

-- Total market production (volume)

-- Registrations

-- Bankruptcies

National reference metadata of the reporting countries are available in the Annexes to this metadata file.