A survey published on January 4 by the National Bank of Belgium found growth expectations among the country's banks continued to weaken in the last quarter of 2012.

The quarterly survey asked 11 major banks operating in Belgium to submit forecasts of economic indicators for the coming year. Banks revised down their 2013 growth forecasts for a second time, from 0.6% in September to 0.3% in December.

The central bank said this was a sign that improved European financial market conditions were