Euro zone Dec sentiment unchanged

Euro zone economic sentiment was unchanged in December against the previous two months, data showed on Thursday, as a more upbeat end-of-year mood in the services and retail sectors and among consumers was offset by a gloomier industry. A monthly survey by the European Commission showed the economic sentiment in the 18 countries that were using the euro in December was 100.7, the same as in November. Sentiment among consumers improved to -10.9 in December from -11.5 in November and the mood in the retail sector rose to -5.3 from -6.0 buoyed by the Christmas shopping spree. In a separate release, the European Union's statistics office said that retail sales in November rose more than expected at 0.6 per cent on the month for a 1.5 per cent year-on-year gain.