Ho trovato questo testo piuttosto interessante a mio avviso, anche se saranno cose note.
Tratto da
Zew.de
The monthly survey conducted by the ZEW institute
echoes the opinion of the
German banking sector. It occupies in that way the space left free by the IFO
survey. At the most
350 analysts and investors are contacted, of which 77% in
the major German banks.
The questionnaire, drafted in December 1991, includes nine questions
bearing on the current and expected overall economic situation, for the
G-7 countries with the exception of Canada. Just one question bears on
current sentiment. The others relate to six-month prospects in terms of the
inflation rate, interest rates, stock market indices, money as well as Brent spot
prices, and company profits per sector.
A current sentiment and a expectations index are drawn from this survey.
Unlike the IFO components, both indices reflect every time the balance of
opinion to just one question. They are exclusively calculated as a diffusion
value.
The philosophy of the ZEW index diverges from that embodied by the IFO
index, and therefore offers an interesting alternative for the user of surveys.
However,
the ZEW presents a higher risk of over-reaction (Chart 2),
because its panel is smaller and more standardised while the number of
questions asked is small
, io sono lo strategist 
