According to the last data released by Eurostat and the ECB, the seasonally adjusted household saving rate continued to decrease, while the household investment rate remained unchanged at a low level. On the other hand, in the third quarter of 2010, business investment rate remained nearly stable at 20.5% in the euro area and at 20.0% in the European Union as a whole. On the other hand, in both areas.

According to the data coming from a detailed set of quarterly European sector accounts released by the statistical office of the European Union (Eurostat), and the European Central Bank (ECB), in the third quarter of 2010, both in countries of the euro area and in the European Union as a whole the EU27, the seasonally adjusted business investment rate remained stable at low levels, while the profit share grew. Last quester of 2010 statistics show business profit share growing up to 38.0% in both zones.

In the euro area, the business profit share continued to recover, as value added increased faster than wage costs. Stocks increased for the second quarter in a row, after five quarters of continuous destocking. In the third quarter of 2010, the seasonally adjusted gross investment rate of non-financial corporations was 20.0% in the EU27, compared with 19.9% in the second quarter of 2010. In the euro area, the investment rate was 20.5% in the third quarter of 2010, compared with 20.6% in the previous quarter.

Lower real disposable income in EU households

On the other hand, in both the euro area and the EU27, the seasonally adjusted household saving rate continued to decrease, while the household investment rate remained unchanged at a low level. A increase in real final consumption by households with a slight decrease in real disposable income, seems to be the reason for household saving rate decrease. This decrease in real disposable income was mainly the result of a slower growth of nominal wages than of the prices of goods and services.

In the third quarter of 2010, the seasonally adjusted gross saving rate of households was 11.5% in the EU27, compared with 11.9% in the second quarter of 2010. In the euro area, the household saving rate was 13.8% in the third quarter of 2010, compared with 14.2% in the previous quarter, and has returned to its level of the third quarter of 2008, just before the financial crisis.