The business investment rate in the eurozone was 19.3 percent in the first quarter of 2014, compared with 19.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013, Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union (EU) and the European Central Bank (ECB) said on Tuesday.

The negative contributions came from investment decreasing and gross value added increasing. At the same time, total stocks (materials, supplies and finished goods) fell for the second quarter in a row, Eurostat said.

In the 28-nation EU, the investment rate was at 19.5 percent in the first quarter of 2014, slightly rose from 19.4 percent in the previous quarter.

In the EU,the business profit share was 37.2 percent in the first quarter of 2014, down from 37.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013, while in the eurozone, the profit share was at 37.7 percent, nearly stable compared with 37.8 percent in the previous quarter.