Investment rate rose in Europe in second quarter

The investment rate in the eurozone and the European Union rose in the second quarter, the European Commission's statistics office said Tuesday. Eurostat said the business investment rate for the eurozone rose from 18.8 percent in the first quarter to 19.2 percent in the second. In the 28-member European Union, the investment rate rose from 18.8 percent in the first quarter to 18.9 percent in the second. The investment rate is defined by capital investments by non-financial firms -- investments in buildings and machinery -- divided by the added production value of the investment. As such, a higher investment rate is bullish and a lower rate is bearish. In the 17-member eurozone, countries that share the euro as currency, the profit share rose to 37.9 in the second quarter from 37.5 in the first quarter. In the EU, the profit share -- the operating surplus as a ratio of the added investment value -- rose to 37.1 percent from 36.8 percent quarter to quarter.