IN BRIEF (Page 16)

European confidence up

European confidence in the economic outlook increased for the first time in 11 months in April as inflation slowed and governments boosted stimulus spending.

An index of executive and consumer sentiment in the 16 nations that use the euro rose to 67.2, the first increase since May 2008, the European Commission in Brussels said yesterday. The April reading was above the 65.6 median estimate of 26 economists in a Bloomberg survey.