By William L. Watts
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- The European Commission on Thursday said its economic sentiment indicator for the euro zone continued to rise in December. Strengthening confidence in the industrial and retail sectors pushed the index to 106.2 from a reading of 105.1 in November. The figure topped a forecast by economists for a rise to 105.8. The EC said its industrial confidence index rose to 4.0 in December from 0.7, while its services index fell to 9.8 from 10.3. The consumer confidence index fell to -11.0 from -9.4, while the retail trade index rose to 4.6 from -1.5. The construction index was unchanged at -26.2. Separately, the European Union statistics agency Eurostat said retail sales in the euro zone fell 0.8% in November and were down 0.1% compared to the same month last year. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had forecast a 0.1% monthly rise and a 1.9% year-on-year gain.
